Metabolism And Fitness Demystified

 

Run!
Image: FitSista

Fitness and Weight Loss is one of the most repeated New Year Resolutions for many Nepalese. They make a long list of resolutions and work hard on it at least for some days or weeks. But we lose the enthusiasm that we had one that first day and wait for next year to come so that we can again start making the same old resolutions that don’t last longer than our metabolism.

The reason we give up very soon on fitness is lack of motivation. It is a fact that when we go from being couch potatoes with no exercise to regular workouts, we can notice that we are making some improvements. However, the law of diminishing marginal utility applies to our body too. As our body becomes accustomed to the exercises, it reaches a point where it stops responding to the workout. If you are a gymer, you must have been aware of it. To gain mass, you are required to level up the weights and reps of the workouts.

Think Metabolism!

Another important thing to take care of is your metabolism rate. A higher or faster metabolic rate means that your body burns more calories and fitness has to do with the relationship between calories intake and calories burned. That’s one reason why some people seem to have no problem with weight even when they eat more. If you are not one of them, you need to shed some sweats with regular workouts.

Often you hear that an intense cardio workout is required to accelerate the fat burn rate. Beware. Little knowledge can be dangerous. Too much cardio can result in muscle loss. And less muscle means low metabolism because muscles constitute an active segment of metabolic tissue which uses a significant amount of calories. If you go back to the relationship between metabolism and calories, it all becomes clear now. More muscles mean your body can burn more calories each day, even if you are doing nothing. That’s why pro-gymers spend almost the first six months gaining mass to accelerate their metabolism and later shed the fat to tone it up.

Hence, as an amateur gymer, I suggest you create an optimum balance between cardio and muscle strengthening exercises to improve your metabolism. Bench Presses, Squats, Burpees, Deadlift, Plank, Dips, and Rows are some compound exercises that build calorie-burning muscle.

Challenge Yourself. Set the bar high.