Increase Metabolism to Lose WeightPosted by Nick Niesen on October 26th, 2010 Metabolic Rate refers to the rate one expends calories in a given period of time. Essentially, it is the rate by which we expend energy through the chemical breakdown of ?burning calories?. Not only do we spend calories during periods of work and during exercise, we also burn calories at rest simply to keep our cells alive. This is a vial point to understand! What I am referring to is known as the ?Basil?, or resting, metabolic rate. In fact, you burn more during your ?resting hours? than you do during periods of exercise! For example, one hours worth of tennis or basketball could burn about 600 or so calories. One hour at rest may burn only 90 or so. But you might only play one hours worth of tennis three or four times a week, while your resting metabolic rate is what you burn 24/7. It is easy to see that 90 times 24 times 7 is significantly greater than 600 times 4. (90 * 24 * 7 = 15120 vs. 600 * 4 = 2400). The point I am making is not that exercise is useless, it is the importance of the bazil metabolic rate in determining the caloric balances within an individual. Of course, bearing in mind that the increase in caloric expenditure cannot be offset by an increase in intake. Calories consumed must be less than calories expend in order to create a caloric deficit that will translate to weight loss. The topic of exactly how to diet in a healthy way will be dealt with at length in a future article (I hope you will look for it). For now just understand that you actually need to create an imbalance of calories: calories in Resting Metabolic Rate can be increased, and such an increase when coupled with healthy dieting will lead to a healthy weight loss. Because it includes exercise as a necessary component, such a method will be among the Healthiest plans you will ever come across! The way to increase resting metabolic rate, very simply stated is though aerobic conditioning. This is of course the same as what some people refer to as Cardio exercise. You should exercise at a sufficient intensity to reach about 80% or your ?maximum heart rate?. Don?t let this term scare you! To find maximum heart rate, take your age - 220 = ?Maximum Heart Rate?. Now find 80% of your Maximum. This becomes your ?Target Heart Rate? A NOTE OF CAUTION: If you are very overweight or over forty, use a healthy dose of common sense. Please don?t kill yourself!!!! If you are much older, you might consult a doctor before beginning a strenuous program. Even if you are younger and in fair shape, gradually work up to this over a few weeks time. At least in the first few weeks, don?t push too hard! This program will SURELY work if you follow it correctly, but please don?t go overboard and kill yourself trying to drop a few pounds! The #1 goal should always be good health. This is well above that of looking good in a mirror! Actually, when you take good care of yourself, through good exercise, proper diet and other healthy habits; everything should fall into place. You will be healthy, feel more energetic, look better, sexier, think clearer, and have a better sex life - the subject of a future article! For the first week or two slowly condition yourself to program. Begin with a five-minute warm-up of simple walking. Then build to a heart rate of about 60%. If you opt for playing sports rather than running on a treadmill in a gym, just try to go a moderate pace to gradually condition yourself to where you want to be. When you are at the point where you can exercise to the full, then you still should begin with a warm-up of about 5 minutes. Some pre-exercise stretches can both help to warm the muscles up and prevent injury. After a five-minute warm-up, get your heart rate up to your target rate; hold it in that range for 20 to 30 minutes. Begin at lower levels and build over several weeks toward the 60-minute range, Do this initially at three times a week. Build to four. Then to five if your schedule allows. I do understand that many people have busy schedules but you must at least find time for three to four sessions if you want to gain the benefits of the program. Over the period of several weeks you will find your energy and stamina improving dramatically. Remember, energy = the burning of calories. Therefore, if you are more energetic throughout the day, as you certainly will be, then just as certainly it means that your metabolic rate has been increased. This can be a very powerful tool in weight control! Again, watch the caloric intake as well! Eat healthy, but keep the calories down. Before long you will notice the benefits on the bathroom scale! Weight will come down as body fat is reduced. More importantly, your general state of health and well-being will be significantly enhanced! You?ll have more energy than you have experienced for years, and will even experience a sharper mental focus as well. I truly hope that this article will influence your life for the better. I do know what I am talking about; however, I have no claim to absolute knowledge. Certainly there can be informed disagreement with some of the points I have expressed and the more knowledgeable among you may feel that I have only scratched the surface. Fine! There is a wealth of information on the web and elsewhere on the subject of health and fitness and I do hope that you continue to seek out that knowledge and understanding. This holds true whether you choose to obtain it from me or another source. But if you have enjoyed this article, and especially if you try this program and gets result from it, please consider visiting my Website for more health related e-books. I thank you for your attention and trust that your health and well-being will grow from this day forward! Like it? 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