Written By mademan

Keep Your Metabolism Burning

Quick kickstarts to keep you going all day

Not all of us are blessed with bodies like David Beckham. Furthermore, many of us can’t find the time to fling ourselves crazily across a soccer field in search of an improved set of muscles (lke David Beckham), but still, don’t we deserve some dietary success? Just because we mysteriously inherited Aunt Linda’s thick thighs and Uncle Danny’s giblet means we’re doomed to wear sweatshirts to the beach, right? No, silly, of course not. It simply means you’ll need to give your metabolism a little TLC, a little time to repair, a lot of inspiration and (surprisingly) a lot of food.

Early Morning Meals

Okay, here’s the first big problem in the American meal plan. In Europe, breakfast consists of a small croissant and/or fruit with coffee – something simple to start off consumption with ease. In America, we cram pancakes, waffles, eggs, bacon and various other staples of gluttonous deliciosity down our throats and sit around wondering why our pants don’t fit. Well, that’s why. To consume such heavy carbohydrates so early in the morning stunts your metabolism and lulls it back to sleep. Your rest/digest rhythms are extremely important to your overall health.  Says, Paolo Sassone-Corsi, Distinguished Professor and Chair of Pharmacology Via Science Daily:

“When the balance between these two vital processes is upset, normal cellular function can be disrupted,” Sassone-Corsi said. “And this can lead to illness and disease.”

The findings suggest that proper sleep and diet may help maintain or rebuild this balance, he said, and also help explain why lack of rest or disruption of normal sleep patterns can increase hunger, leading to obesity-related illnesses and accelerated aging.

Instead, drink a tall glass of water as soon as you wake up (and as much as possible throughout the day). This allows your digestive system to slowly prepare for your first meal, which should be something no larger than the size of two hands cupped together. Egg white omelets, fruit bowls or yogurt and granola combinations are a perfect breakfast for beginning to boost your metabolism.

Snack Work

Snacks are extremely important to the art of cleansing your arteries. Of course, (unfortunately), we don’t mean chips, popcorn or bagels. We mean fruit, crackers, cold cuts and juices. Instead of thinking in terms of three hefty meals, try to think in terms of five smaller meals, so that your snacks actually become semi-scheduled as well. This means that about an hour or two after eating a modestly sized breakfast, you would eat a small snack, and about an hour or two after that, you would eat your biggest meal – that being lunch.

Exercise in Relation to Eating

By lunch time, someone in search of a faster metabolism should have already worked out. This is because working out before lunch jolts your metabolism into action and keeps it running all day, whereas working out at night is only burning the fat you’ve already consumed. Usually, working out a half an hour before lunch is the best idea, because by the time your meal arrives your body is ready to swiftly metabolize. Eating within the first half hour after exercise is essential to inspiring a metabolism, so spending the first half hour of your lunch break jogging and the second half eating is essentially the best thing you could do for yourself.

How Much Exercise

Obviously, this kind of thing bears the promotional statement: the more the merrier. Unfortunately, not all of us have that kind of time. In light of this fact, and the fact that exercise is only worthwhile when applied to your body on a consistent basis, try to exercise every day for thirty minutes rather than three or four times a week for an hour. This daily endeavor enlightens your metabolism, teaching it to expect stimulation and, therefore, to better burn waste from your body. Without grazing and snacking in a regular manner as an accompaniment to modest meals and without consistently moving your ass, your metabolism will refuse to resurrect itself. By attempting to eat as little as possible, your metabolism shuts down and stores fat rather than sheds it. So whatever you do, don’t starve.

What To Eat

After working out, protein is key. Lean protein, meaning chicken and fish rather than heavy red meat, with fresh vegetables will pass right through your system and restore nutrients to your body. The most important thing about eating while ‘dieting,’ is eating things that don’t stick. Meaning, eat foods that aren’t fried, that don’t contain a ton of potatoes and bread products and that generally contain the color green. This way, you’re helping your body constantly run like an active engine, instead of having to stop and restart at each light. Also, probiotics and magnesium vitamins often help keep your body on a healthy, digestive roll.

Afternoon Slump

Afternoons can be hellish periods of time, especially when you’re blood sugar’s dropped and there’s three hours left to dinner. For this, trail mix and a little chocolate, an apple and a piece of cheese or crackers with some slices of deli meat are ideal. These will curb your appetite, give your metabolism some attention and still keep you excited for dinner.

End of the Day/Dinner

If you live close enough to walk or ride a bicycle home from work before dinner, do so. After sitting around all day after your morning exercise, a short walk or jog before dinner is a nice reminder to your body that the day has not yet ended. Of course, dinner should be smaller than lunch, because your body will have less time to process this meal before sleep. In fact, it is necessary to never eat after nine or ten at night, because by then your body’s digestive system is painfully slow and preparing for sleep. Eating desert is entirely okay, especially if you’ve exercised, so long as it does not contain corn syrup. Corn syrup, thick carbohydrates and creams are terribly difficult for the digestive track and clutter your insides with crap. Instead, go for frozen yogurt (which contains probiotics), dark chocolate or fruits. Drink a last glass of water before bed and begin again in the morning. Consistency is truthfully the only thing that counts here.