The body’s metabolic function is a great piece of natural engineering that can empower anyone to lose weight and improve their levels of health, fitness, and general well-being.
The metabolic system is made up of a complicated combination of hormones and enzymes that work together to not only help convert ingested food and drink into calories, but also help control how efficiently our bodies use or burn those calories. So in terms of our overall health, our metabolic systems may be a key factor in determining our weight profile. A slow metabolic rate can make it more difficult to lose weight, while a higher active metabolic rate can be a very helpful aid in helping to lose unwanted pounds.
“Why is this?” You may wonder, and the initial answer is that not only can a higher metabolic rate burn calories faster, but it also burns calories when you’re at rest or even asleep. Yes, the dream ticket; lose weight while sleeping
Your metabolism is affected by many different things, including your age, your gender, your genetic pattern, and your ratio of body fat to muscle. Our metabolic rate begins to decline once we hit our 40s and then continues to decline by about five percent every ten years. As a general rule, men tend to have a higher metabolic rate than women, and this is mainly due to the fact that, on average, men have a higher ratio of muscle to fat than women.
Some people have a naturally high metabolic rate, while others are slower. But don’t despair. If you’re one of the unlucky people with a lower rate, it may be possible to speed it up. How? – Through regular aerobic or cardiovascular exercises.
Cardiovascular exercise (popularly known by its abbreviation “cardio”) and aerobic exercise are pretty much the same thing for anyone confused by the use of both terms. Cardio is essentially exercising the heart, lungs, and circulatory system through exercises like running, jogging, walking, bicycling, and swimming. Many of you will recognize these exercises as aerobic, but strictly speaking they are cardiovascular, but cardio can also include working with weights and resistance exercises, so many have adopted the term aerobic to help differentiate between the two types. of exercise
Obesity is very much a global problem in the developed world today and sadly the US tops the leaderboard. So with that fact in mind, and all the adverse publicity it generates, it’s no surprise that weight loss is a high priority on many people’s minds. As we have already established, regular cardiovascular exercise is the path to a faster metabolism, which in turn leads to greater weight loss when accompanied by a balanced, healthy, calorie-controlled diet.
The funny thing is that as more of us introduce a cardio regimen into our lifestyle, we are finding that cardio is becoming a means unto itself. Even when we’ve reached our goal weight (if that’s what prompted us to start in the first place), we stick with our cardio.
It becomes a bit like a drug; oh well; one that increases our health, our stamina and our general well-being. It even contributes to a healthier brain because of the way cardio helps increase blood circulation.
Sometimes the idea of starting a cardio regimen can feel a bit unappealing to those who have developed the “couch junkie” mentality. At first it may seem a bit daunting, but you will soon find that your body adapts incredibly quickly if you establish a regular pattern of exercise.
It doesn’t have to be too rigorous either. Obviously, the harder you exercise, the higher your metabolic rate and the more weight you can lose, but even relatively light exercise, as long as it increases your heart and lung rates, will benefit you greatly.
The most popular form of cardiovascular exercise: jogging, walking, biking and swimming will increase your lung capacity to meet your body’s demand for oxygen. For those of you who have joint problems, you will find swimming to be a great exercise because the water helps support your weight and they prevent the jarring impact that running, jogging and walking can have on the hip, knee and ankle. together
For those who want to maximize their cardio to increase their metabolic rates, it’s worth including some resistance exercises or weight training. In addition to helping to increase your MR (metabolic rate) anyway, it also helps build muscle tissue and as we mentioned earlier in this text, the more muscle you have, the faster your MR will go, so you’ll get double. benefit.
Muscle is heavier than fat, but as long as you continue with your other aerobic exercises (jogging, biking, swimming) and maintain a healthy, balanced diet, the gain in muscle weight will be offset by the loss of fat. In fact, you will likely continue to lose weight because muscle tissue takes a long time to develop, and you will continue to lose fat in the meantime.
Cardio has a way of making you want to get fitter and healthier. It builds what’s called a metabolic drive, and once it starts, it almost takes on a life and demand of its own. However, it is by no means onerous. It is a pleasure that you will naturally want to prolong.
You’ll eat and drink healthier, and you’ll automatically want to eliminate many of the junk foods and toxins that may have crept into your life.
The more you do your cardio, the longer you’ll stick with your regimen, not only does it get easier to do, but you’ll find it becomes an enjoyable part of the day (or night) that you look forward to and enjoy.
You will benefit from and appreciate how great you feel, how fit you get, and how good you look too.
It can really make you look and feel younger.