All About Metabolism

Alhamdulillah! Yesterday I completed the optional month of Syawal 6-day fast. So for the last 6 days it was like the month of Ramadan all over again but this time everybody else are eating except me. It also means I cannot start my routine morning exercise lest I fatigue myself for the rest of the day. So today I made a resolve to start my morning exercise routine and tried to make up for the whole week mileage. I managed to run 11km in 1:22 on the treadmill (since I am on call so it would be easier to get changed if I get called). Another good news is that today I officially weigh less than 77 kg (76.9 kg to be exact!). Another 2 kg to my weight loss goal. It seems easier to lose weight now maybe because I have boosted my metabolism.

Talk about metabolism. You may have heard of the term "metabolism". You pretty well know it will affect your weight, complain about your own slow metabolism and wonder how to get a faster metabolism to speed up your weight loss, but do you know what it really is?

In scientific term, metabolism refers to a series of biochemical processes through which your body converts food into fuel for the cells in your body in order to sustain life. Everything that takes place in the body like breathing, digestion, tissue repair and muscle function needs energy to work. We need to eat to provide our bodies with nutrients to be broken down and provide energy, repair body tissues and build new cells. The rate at which your body uses energy and expends calories is called the basal metabolic rate (BMR).

Our BMR can be affected by many factors such as genetics, gender, age, height, diet/nutrition, overall health and level of activity. While we cannot change the in-built factors, we can definitely modify the external, controllable factors. There are also evidence that stress and poor sleeping habits can slow down your metabolism. Lets take a look at all these factors one by one.

We may have noticed that some people tend to maintain their body weight despite their indulgence in food and lack of exercise. They are blessed with high metabolic rate, which is inherited. Unfortunately, slow BMR is also hereditary. Taller people tend to have higher metabolic rate than shorter people. Men also tend to burn more calories than women. These are the in-built factors that we cannot change. Another one is age.

After the age of mid-30's, our metabolic rate drop. As we get older, our ability to utilize energy and burn calories diminishes thus our metabolism slows down, partly due to less muscle mass in older people compared to younger people. Since muscle is like a furnace to burn calories, this translates to a reduced metabolic rate. We certainly can't make ourselves younger but we can make sure we are getting enough exercise, which many people tend to get out of the habit as they age.

Now let's look at external, controllable factors. I will elaborate on diet and exercise last because these two are the most important. Firstly, stress causes your body to release cortisol, a hormone produced by the adrenal system that is linked to weight gain. Learn to calm yourself down and deal with stress. Deep breathing, regular physical activity, pursuing a hobby or just do what you enjoy in life may be helpful. Talk to someone you trust or seek professional help if you cannot handle the stress.

Poor sleeping habit can slow down your metabolism. Lack of sleep can disrupt your metabolic processes and predispose to insulin resistance, which is a risk factor for diabetes. Insulin resistance has also been associated with obesity. It is recommended that adults should get seven to nine hours of sleep each night. But the number of sleep hours is arbitrary. You will know that you get enough sleep when you wake up feeling refreshed in the morning.

We should also take care of our overall health. You should do a health check up annually to detect any medical conditions early. Furthermore, as we age, we are predisposed to certain conditions like hypertension, cholesterol problem and diabetes. There are some medical conditions that can slow down metabolic rate, for example, thyroid problems like hypothyroidism (a condition in which the thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormone) and low testosterone for men. Talk to your doctor for professional advice.

The two most important modifiable factors that affect your metabolism are diet/nutrition and exercise. Healthy diet/nutrition and enough exercise can boost your resting metabolic rate. There are certain types of food that purportedly can boost your metabolism like broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, celery, zucchini and
high protein foods as they are low in calories but use more calories for the body to break them down. Spicy foods (capsaicin) and caffeine can temporarily boost metabolism to a small extent. Foods containing high antioxidants (berries, fruits and green tea) and omega-3 fatty acids (salmon, tuna or sardines) are also recommended. Do not fear fat because fat is needed by the body to build and repair cells. Choose natural healthy fats such as olive oil, avocados, various nuts, flax and natural peanut butter to receive your necessary fats. Avoid trans fat which is the bad fat. Foods containing complex carbohydrates such as cereals, oatmeal & wholegrain will stabilize your blood sugar levels and reduce sugar cravings. Drinking a minimum of 8 to 10 glasses daily will help increase your metabolism (by facilitating the metabolic processes in the body as all bodily chemical reactions requires water).

You may have heard the saying "we are what we eat". Healthy diet/nutrition is as important as healthy eating habits. So I may add "we are what we eat and how we eat."  It may be tempting to severely restrict your calories or skip meals to lose weight, but that may be a self-defeating practice. Cutting back the amount of food you eat through a fad diet or skipping meals can send your body into fat-storing starvation mode, slowing down your metabolism. To keep your metabolic rate up, you should also change your eating habits. Always eat breakfast, which gives your body an early energy boost and deters it from fat storage. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it gets your metabolism running in high gear. Your first meal sets your metabolism for the day and keeps it going. Eat many small balanced meals and snacks throughout the day (3-4 hours apart) to keep your metabolism busy burning fuel all day long. Meals and snacks should be balanced, meaning they should contain a complete protein, carbohydrates, as well as natural fat. Avoid skipping meals as it slows down your metabolism. To ignite your metabolism you need to be consuming the right foods in a balanced manner throughout the day. Do not eat close to bedtime when your body metabolism slows down.

Last but not least, exercise not only helps you expend more calories while you’re physically active, but it will also increase your resting metabolic rate. It is recommended that adults between the age of 18 and 65 years should do two and a half hours of moderate-intensity aerobic activity every week and do strengthening exercises on all the body’s major muscle groups at least twice a week. Aerobic exercise provides your metabolism a temporary boost, but it only lasts for a short time after the exercise has ended. The main role of aerobic exercise is to burn calories and influence your body's daily energy balance (calorie intake versus calorie expenditure). Aerobic exercise is also necessary for heart and lung health. Strength training is the form of exercise that can have an influence on your resting metabolic rate. Increasing your muscle mass increases your metabolism. In fact, that's why your metabolism winds down as you get older: as you age, you lose muscle. While muscle and fat weigh exactly the same, muscle is a metabolically active tissue - it burns calories. It is a good idea to keep changing your exercise routine. Try different types of exercise to work new muscles and keep your body guessing. Nevertheless, it is paramount that you listen to your body when exercising. Killing yourself with workouts is just as dangerous as not working out at all. Listen to your body and get proper rest. Don’t train if you are ill, still sore from the previous workout, or just simply too tired. Exercising in such a state can cause more problems than it solves.


Stay fit and healthy!