The Metabolism - What Is It And How Can it Work For Me?

You hear it everywhere, "...the metabolism," but have you ever really looked at this fitness catchword in detail? Today, it is so commonly used we seem to forget the basics therefore resulting in a few missed gems of information here and there. Starting from scratch we must see:

1. What it is

2. How to work with it and most importantly

3. How it will benefit us

What is it?

The metabolism at its most basic level is the process your body uses to burn the food energy you have provided for it. It can also describe the rate or speed in which your body performs this process. Many different things in the food we take in are metabolized but for the sake of this article we will focus mainly on the food energy or calories themselves.

How can I work with it?

Since we now know what it is and basically how it works it is obvious that we want to find ways to speed it up naturally. This can be done in a variety of ways. Some are good and some are not so good. Let's start with the good:

-Increasing Lean Muscle Mass-

This is the first and probably the most obvious way to create a more constructive metabolism. It is natural that the more muscle we have the more calories we will burn...even at rest! Muscle takes energy to make it work but fat does not, it just sits there. Try moderate resistance training to start off.

-Engaging In Aerobic Exercise-

Aerobics are great! This will ensure that your body fat will decrease while at the same time your lean muscle mass will increase. Even after you have finished exercising your metabolism will remain higher for a period of time, working more efficiently. You will then burn more calories no matter what you're doing