Metabolic rate

This is how fast your metabolism works.
It is measured in calories.

The calories you eat can go to one of 3 places:
1) Work (i.e. exercise and other activity, like breathing or blinking).
2) Heat (i.e. from all those biochemical reactions).
3) Storage (i.e. leftover “unburned” calories stored as fat).

As you can imagine the more calories you burn as work or by creating heat the easier it is to lose weight & keep it off.
This is because there will be fewer “leftover” calories to store as fat.

There are a couple of different ways to measure metabolic rate. 

One is the “resting metabolic rate” (RMR).
This is how much energy your body requires when you're not being physically active.
Think of it as the number of calories your body needs to use while you sleep.


The other way to measure metabolic rate is via the “total daily energy expenditure” (TDEE). 
This  measures both the resting metabolic rate AND the energy used for “work” (e.g. exercise) during a 24-hour period.


What affects your metabolic rate?
A number of factors!

1) The first thing you may think of is your thyroid. 
Remember, this gland is at the front of your throat. It releases hormones to tell your body to “speed up” your metabolism. 

Of course, the more thyroid hormone there is, the faster things will work and the more calories you'll burn and vice versa.

But that's not the only thing that affects your metabolic rate.
​2) How big you are counts too! 
Larger people have higher metabolic rates; but your body composition is crucial! 

The more fat you have the lower your metabolic rate compared to someone who has more muscle.

Muscles that move and do work need more energy than fat does. 

So the more lean muscle mass you have, the more energy your body burns and the higher your metabolic rate will be. 
This is even when you're not working out.

This is exactly why weight training is often recommended as a part of a weight loss program.  Because you want muscles to be burning those calories for you. 

3) The thing is, when people lose weight their metabolic rate often slows down.
This is because there is less of you.
​Now of course you don't want that to happen. 
The way to solve this decline is to have MORE muscle mass.

Aerobic exercise also temporarily increases your metabolic rate.  Your muscles are burning fuel to move so they're doing “work”.

4) The type of food you eat also affects your metabolic rate.
​Your body uses calories to absorb, digest, and process your food. 
It is called the “thermic effect of food” (TEF).

Since your body processes foods differently you can use this TEF to your advantage.

Fats, only increase your TEF by 0-3%.
Carbohydrates increase it by 5-10%.
Protein increases it by 15-30%. 

​By decreasing your intake of fats or carbs and increasing the amount of lean protein you eat, you can slightly increase your metabolic rate.

An added bonus of eating protein is that your muscles need it for growth. 
By working them out and feeding them what they need, they will help you to lose weight and keep it off.

5) And don't forget the mind-body connection. 
There is plenty of research that shows the influence of other factors like stress and sleep have on the metabolic rate.

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to metabolism and how so many different elements can work to increase (or decrease) your metabolic rate.

​Only I can change my life. No one can do it for me - Carol Burnett

I was on Facebook recently, as one is, and there was a post from a lady wanting to know how to lose weight.

And the answers were various - eat less, exercise more, cut out white foods, stop eating carbs, drink lemon water, stop drinking alcohol and the suggestions went on. 

And at the end of the day the lady will need to decide to take action so that sh can begin to change.

Three words - Decide - Action - Begin

My question to you is what change do you want to see in your life?

Go ahead and make a list - 

• Is it to relieve your constipation?
• Is it to reduce the sluggishness you feel daily?
• Is it that your tummy seems to be getting bigger?
• Is it that your clothes are feeling tighter?

What do you want to change?

Which on from your list will you choose to start with?

What action will you take?

If you dont know what you need to do next, how will you find out?

Say it is a feeling of sluggishness you want to change.
What can you do first?

Drink 8 large glasses of water per day?
Go to bed by 10pm every night?
Add more vegetables to your menu?
Start walking or join a group or make a group?

Choose 1 action and S T A R T.

And keep track of it.

Everyone likes to see the circles filling, the starts added, the X .

When you track it then you see daily progress.
And that is how you begin to change your life.

For some just the tracker can make a huge difference but for others who can't stick to the plan, I Can Help You. 

Because there are people just like you who need to report back to someone. I Am That Someone.

Why not book a Strategy Session with me? Together  we can work out what you want to change, how you're going to change and BEGIN.

Fatty fish have a high amount of omega 3 fatty acids. 

Omega 3s are vital to your brain and bodily functions. They also contain vitamin D which many people can be deficient in even though we live in a sunny country. 

If you're looking to maintain a healthy heart, eating fish 1 - 2 times a week can lower your risk of heart attacks and strokes. 

Omega 3 essential fatty acids are very important for growth and development, particularly of hte brain and eyes. 

As we age cognitive function can decline. But eating fish helps to maintain grey matter and reduce the decline and deterioration of grey matter. 
Grey matter is important for controlling memory and emotions. ​
​
Eating fish and using omega 3 supplements can be of benefit for depression. 
Because the fatty acids help to feed and nourish the grey matter which as already mentioned is responsible for controlling emotions. I understand however, that there is much more to depression than simply eating fish to alleviate it. 

Omega 3s and fish can help to reduce triglyceride levels and increase good cholesterol which is good for your heart health. 

On the eye front, eating fish and omega 3s helps to protect your eyes against macular degeneration. This causes blurred vision or less sight. 

Sleep problems? 
They are so commom that we think it's normal not to sleep well. Eating fatty fish can lead to improved sleep because it is a good source of vitamin D which helps your body.

And eating it just once or twice a week has a lot of health benefits.

Don't limit yourself to thinking of eating it just for supper.
You can have fish with your lunches too.
Try adding it to your salads and roasted vegetables.
​Or in the morning with scrambled eggs or avo.