Metabolism: Can We Control It?
The body's metabolism is a unique process for each individual
person. No two people metabolize food at the same rate therefore
no two people have the metabolism. We all use our calories at
different rates, with different results. Our metabolism, like
our fingerprints is unique to each of us. But the need to
understand and accommodate this metabolism is an issue that we
all face.
The dictionary defines metabolism as the sum of all biochemical
processes involved in life, or the sustaining of life. In
application concerning our health, metabolism is related to the
intake and use of food. In reference to the case in point it is
our ability to utilize our food to the fullest extent.
Right now, the greatest results in raising our metabolism come
from exercise and building our muscle mass, while reducing our
body fat. Adding more muscle to the body, in turn causes us to
burn more calories, and this helps to elevate our metabolic
rate. Our metabolism functions also depend on how well we have
taken care of our nutritional needs. Some people have really
high rates of metabolism. In other words, when they consume
food, their bodies burn it up almost as fast as then consume it.
Then there are those of use who use our food intake so slowly,
as to not even notice that we're burning calories.
These people who burn quickly are often slim and trim, the
people who burn more slowly are the people with a tendency
toward obesity. For years, people have sought ways to raise the
metabolic rate. If you can raise someone's metabolic rate, you
are then better able to control the burn of calories, especially
for overweight or obese people. This would make the goal of
better or improved health a much easier reality for those
people. Efforts to date have produced very little results.
There are foods that we can consume that naturally raise our
metabolic rate, but not to a great extent. What we need is a way
to directly alter the rate. We need to be able to raise our
metabolism to a point where we can actually see a benefit. This
is where the effort to stay physically fit and active provides
tremendous payoff. Over the course of your life, if you stay
active, exercise, and maintain optimal health for your muscles,
you will see a tremendous difference in the rate that your body
metabolizes food.
As people age, their metabolism quite naturally slows down. The
greatest way to prevent this from happening is through exercise
and staying fit. The best way to date to control our metabolic
process is through proper nutrition, daily exercise, eating the
foods known to have an effect on our metabolic rate, and plenty
of rest. The metabolic process can be indirectly controlled by
the methods we just discussed.
Direct control is not available, to date. I believe through
careful analysis, exercise, and attention to each person's
unique needs, we could bring about a more natural balance of the
metabolic burn vs. the calorie intake. To a level where optimal
health and weight control are in equilibrium.
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