Metabolic Rate
- Most beginners are surprised to learn that weight training is an important key to losing fat. By increasing your body’s muscle size or mass you kick your body’s metabolism into a higher gear. Since muscle is denser than fat and it takes up less room, so your pants will feel looser and your arms won’t wobble when you reach for a towel. Plus, the more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn. The bigger the engine, the more fuel it takes to keep it working.Metabolism refers to the number of calories your body burns in order to function properly such as for your heart to beat, your stomach to digest, your kidneys to pump, and so on.Some people naturally have a very high metabolism. They can eat large amounts of food and do little exercise yet remain slim and trim. If you have a slower metabolism, your body tends to hang onto the calories you eat and store them as fat rather than burn them for energy.
How can you increase your metabolism?
- Have the right genes: You can’t do much about this one. Genetics plays a significant role in metabolism. Some people are simply born to burn at a faster rate than others. The size of your body also influences your metabolism. The bigger your bones and organs and the more body tissue you have, the more calories your body needs for fuel.
- Build more muscle: Here’s something you can do something about. Another reason that some people have a faster metabolism is that they have more muscle. Muscles are very active in calorie burning. They use up lots of energy moving the body from place to place, even when you aren’t exercising. Fat, on the other hand, is sluggish and inactive. Its role is to insulate and store energy.Try to avoid the bathroom scale to track your weight loss progress. Since muscle is denser than fat, it takes up less room than fat but weighs more per square inch. One pound of fat takes up three times as much space as a pound of muscle. With more muscle on your frame, you’ll look smaller and more toned but you may find that your total body weight doesn’t change too much or you could be like me, Joanne. When I started weight training, I gained 20 pounds but was three to four dress sizes smaller. That’s when I threw away the weight scales and that’s why you should too.The bottom line is that the more muscle you have, the speedier your metabolism. You can not change your genetics but you can significantly increase your muscle mass.