Fitness Articles
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How to Maximize Your Metabolism Craig
Ballantyne, M.Sc., CSCS You cut calories and you exercise. You do exactly what the articles say - Your calories out are greater than your calories in. You should be losing fat. But if you aren’t, perhaps you’re still not paying attention to an often forgotten factor of fat loss - your metabolism. Your
metabolism is a measure of how many calories you are burning each
day. But did you know that the food, exercise, and lifestyle
choices you make every day have a significant impact on your
metabolism? For example, if you starve yourself (instead of
following a sensible fat-loss eating plan) your metabolism will
slow down. If your metabolism slows down, it means your calories
out will be less. And that means no more fat loss, and possibly
even continued fat gain. So
for every day that you continue to slow your metabolism with
unhealthy lifestyle choices, you get further and further away from
fat loss. To help, I’ve put together a list of the top 10 ways
to maximize your metabolism, so that you’ll burn as many
calories as possible each day so that you can finally lose the
fat. 1.
Don’t
starve yourself! Cutting calories too much is one of the worst
things you can do to your body. Starving yourself actually causes
you to lose much more water weight and muscle than fat. Use
fitday.com to find out your daily calorie intake. 2.
Eat 6-8
small meals per day with an emphasis on lean proteins, fruits, and
vegetables. You have to have a nutrition plan, so spend a couple
hours on a day off preparing as much food as you can for the
upcoming week. 3.
Eat
breakfast. You have to make this meal part of your daily
metabolism-boosting plan. At the very least, eat a lean protein,
drink some Green Tea, and consume a fiber-rich fruit to get your
fat loss day started right. 4.
Eat
healthy fats. Sources of healthy fats included nuts, fish, olive
oil, and flax oil. I consume 10 grams of fish oil per day. Replace
all processed carbohydrates in your diet with almonds. For
example, if you currently eat a small bag of pretzels as a
mid-afternoon snack, eat almonds instead (eating the same number
of total calories). 5.
Eat high
quality foods that will help you control your blood sugar levels,
insulin levels, and energy levels. Insulin management will help
you lose fat and prevent you form gaining fat. I’ll be writing
more on how to eat and exercise to control your hormone levels -
the #1 neglected factor in fat loss programs. 6.
Eat 1.14g
of protein per pound of lean body mass. If you don’t know your
lean body mass, then simply eat 1g of protein per pound of body
weight. But if possible, stick to the lean body mass
recommendation, as that eliminates excess fat mass when
calculating protein needs. 7.
Don’t
drink alcohol. Alcohol intake can quickly add hundreds of calories
and alcohol prevents fat burning. Alcohol intake can also reduce
testosterone levels, a big no-no for men looking to Get Lean. 8.
Drink
Green Tea and water. While I don’t believe that either of these
will increase your metabolism, I do believe that they help prevent
decreases in metabolism. Not too mention, these are your 2
healthiest beverage options. 9.
Stick to
a consistent sleep schedule. Don’t stay up all night, and if
possible, avoid working afternoon and overnight shifts. If you
must work shift-work, stick to the rest of these principles as
strongly as possible. 10.
Use the
strength training with moderately heavy weights (that allow you to
complete 8 perfect reps per set) and interval training for the
most efficient and effective metabolism boosting workout. Learn
about Craig's Ballantyne's training programs
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