Everyone wants to know how you can increase your metabolism. It is like it is the magic bullet for fat loss. But what is this mysterious "metabolism" and how can you control it and manipulate it to work for you and to help you burn fat?
The word metabolism refers to how many calories you burn each day. It is controlled by many factors, including your hormone levels, your activity levels, the amount and type of food you eat, the amount of rest and recovery you get, your stress levels, and your genetics. You can temporarily increase your metabolism with exercise and you can increase your metabolism long-tem by adding muscle, losing fat, and eating whole, natural foods.
So if you increase your metabolism, you will burn more calories and lose more fat - and that is what I am going to do in this newsletter so that you will be able to burn fat and build muscle all day long.
But if any of the metabolic-control factors gets messed up, then your metabolism can slow down. This can be very bad for your body composition, leading to fat gain. Aside from some type of medical condition, the main factor for a slow metabolism is poor lifestyle choices. Living the Westernized-lifestyle is a sure way to slow your metabolism.
The Westernized lifestyle is characterized by:
Eating a high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet
Eating 1-2 large meals per day only
Consuming alcohol on a frequent basis
Not exercising, or choosing to perform only slow duration, steady-state exercise and avoiding strength training for muscle mass
Getting small amounts of low-quality sleep
Not having coping strategies to deal with excessive amounts of stress
Skipping meals in order to lose weight
Being overweight does not necessarily mean that you had a slow metabolism, but becoming overweight can lead to an even slower metabolism. And that can create a cycle of gaining weight leading to a slower metabolism leading to gaining weight, etc. Then what happens when people realize they have a slower metabolism? They start to eat less of course. And that too can lead to an even slower metabolism still.
So what to do?
The answer is really simple. You just have to get organized, educated, and motivated to avoid living the Western-lifestyle. Now I can educate you on the daily, step-by-step methods to change, but you have to be committed. But if you've come this far with the newsletter, than I know you can do it.
Here's how you should get started on living the metabolism boosting lifestyle:
1. Visualize yourself being successful as you start your new lifestyle. You have a much greater chance of succeeding if you think positively.
2. Make a list of 3 short-term and 3 long-term goals. Post these goals in places that you will see them everyday. When you reach a goal, set a new one.
Short-term goals
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Long-term goals
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3. Stop buying Western lifestyle foods (i.e. processed carbs) and switch to fruits, vegetables, protein, and nuts. Now that's a metabolism-boosting grocery list!
4. Add strength training to your workouts.
5. Add interval training to your workout, and drop the slow boring cardio.
6. Eat 6 small mini-meals each day, rather than 2 large meals.
Those are 6 guaranteed steps to help you boost your metabolism and lose weight. Stay consistent, and you'll have a new body in no time!
Click Here to get the results from the October 2011 Metabolic Finishers Results.
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