2023-07-02 03:01:48
It is a fact that to burn calories you have to do aerobic work; strength must also be worked, which is very necessary for this (Getty)
It is often heard that there are people who have a slower metabolism than others. And that this influences issues ranging from body weight to mood; because it is regarding the expenditure of energy that the organism needs to carry out the basic vital functions.
“Metabolism is involved in all the chemical processes that allow us to maintain life: respiration and blood oxygenation, heart muscle contraction and blood circulation, brain functions, maintaining the pH in the stomach and electrolyte balance, among others” . This is how the specialist in Internal Medicine and Nutrition Marianela Aguirre Ackermann (MN 151,867), coordinator of the Obesity Group of the Argentine Nutrition Society (SAN), began to explain to Infobae, who added: “The body uses between 60 and 75% of calories consumed each day to cover basic functions”.
What is known as basal metabolism or basal metabolic rate depends on many factors such as age, sex, height, weight, physical build, and of course genetics. It is also directly related to the amount of muscle mass a person has, for this reason, men, who have greater muscle development than women, generally have -for the same weight- a higher basal metabolism and need to consume more calories.
Very restrictive diets make the body work in “saving mode” and reduce metabolism (Getty)
“The main person in charge of burning calories is muscle,” said Aguirre Ackermann, who is also director of Fundación CIEN (Comprehensive Center for Endocrinology and Nutrition).
In this sense, this medium wanted to know what is the importance of accelerating metabolism in the search to lose weight.
“Improving metabolism can play an important role in weight loss, mainly by ‘burning’ calories,” said the specialist from the SAN-. Speeding up the metabolism means that the body burns calories more efficiently, even at rest. A faster metabolism means more calories are burned throughout the day, which can contribute to an energy deficit and weight loss.”
On the other hand, he added that “it is also important (to speed up the metabolism) for the process of maintaining lost weight, since if during the weight loss it was possible to lose fat mass and very little lean mass, that contributes to a metabolism that will make it easier to maintain the lost weight. Conversely, if there was a lot of loss of lean mass, it will make it more difficult to maintain the lost weight.
Drinking adequate water can help support a healthier metabolism (Getty)
Claudia Lescano is a Physical Education teacher with a degree in High Performance Sports and the creator of the first training system to optimize metabolism, improving insulin sensitivity. On this point, she opined that “the problem is not the weight but the excess body fat.”
“An accelerated metabolism is a metabolism that works efficiently, which has a hormonal balance that makes us healthy people, prepared to respond energetically to the demands of daily life,” said the expert. While she considered that “accelerating metabolism is achieving this balance.”
In turn, the national professor of Physical Education, fitness specialist and graduate in Sports Nutrition Francisco Ozores added that “it is important to speed up metabolism to optimize metabolic processes that will lead to optimal oxidation of fats.” “When the metabolism is accelerated, not only are more calories spent, but any activity that is done for this purpose will be more effective,” said the specialist.
And he specified: “In the face of a stimulus, for example doing physical activity for half an hour, with a slow metabolism an X amount of calories is burned, having a more accelerated metabolism, the same activity for the same time, will produce a greater energy expenditure and therefore greater oxidation of fats.
“Conversely, having a slow metabolism leads to precisely all the functions of the body being done more slowly” (Getty)
At this point, Infobae wanted to know what can be done, both from food and from physical exercise, to speed up metabolism.
Aguirre Ackermann pointed out that “the most important organ to control the rate of metabolism is the muscle.” “Multiple studies agree that building muscle is probably the most important element in increasing metabolism,” he said. Improving our muscle mass with anaerobic exercises can make our muscles become ‘natural burners’ of calories, making it possible to increase our metabolism and improve weight control”.
“It is essential to inform ourselves of the importance of having healthy habits, such as proper nutrition, rest and fundamentally the practice of appropriate physical exercise for each one,” said Lescano, who added that “when talking regarding physical exercise to balance hormones, it should It must be understood that not any exercise is suitable for this objective”.
“For more than 20 years I devoted myself to studying the special type of intensity that we need to be able to lose weight and thus balance our hormones,” said the specialist, for whom “many times it is believed that because a person’s analysis is within reference values is in good health, but this is not always the case”. “We must understand that excess fatty tissue creates an inflammatory condition in the body that predisposes to disease,” she emphasized.
To process the protein that is ingested, the body consumes more calories (Getty)
For Ozores, “there are several strategies that can be used.” “Since training, intermittent activities are used a lot, for example with circuits where strength and aerobic work must be incorporated -not only aerobic work-. And from nutrition, working with various intakes and snacks throughout the day, beyond the number of calories, also leads to an acceleration of metabolism”.
“Intermittent work, anything that leads to activities of varied intensities and different stimuli, leads to an optimization of the acceleration of metabolism,” said the specialist, who recommended “avoid falling into the myth that to burn calories you have to do work aerobic”. “Strength must also be worked on, which is very necessary for this,” he reiterated.
From food, Aguirre Ackermann added five strategies that are very helpful:
1- Avoid very restrictive diets, which make the body work in “saving mode” and reduce metabolism. Very strict diets are not only very difficult to sustain, but also reduce metabolism by up to 25%. Once a restrictive diet is finished or abandoned, it will be very difficult to maintain the new weight achieved. A gradual weight loss with balanced eating plans is preferable.
2- Consume more protein (such as meat, eggs, milk, among others) because to “process” them the body consumes more calories
“The main person in charge of burning calories is muscle” (Getty)
3- Incorporate spicy foods: spicy foods are rich in capsaicin, a thermogenic alkaloid (that is, it increases body temperature temporarily). They are found in pickles, hot peppers, and chili peppers, to name a few.
4- Eat foods rich in calcium, since it is involved in metabolic processes that allow a better metabolic rate to be maintained.
5- Drink enough water. Dehydration can slow metabolism. Drinking adequate water can help support a healthier metabolism.
An accelerated metabolism favors a better state of physical, mental and emotional health (Getty)
Asked regarding what other aspects of good health, in addition to maintaining a healthy weight, it is good to speed up metabolism, Aguirre Ackermann pointed out that “having a better metabolism can help regulate blood glucose. Exercise and a balanced diet can improve insulin sensitivity and facilitate the proper absorption and use of glucose by cells, which would be beneficial in preventing or managing type 2 diabetes.
“Also, maintaining a better muscle mass can give us more strength, energy and vitality for our daily activities and improve physical and mental performance,” he added. While he pointed out that “regular physical activity, in addition to increasing metabolism, has a positive impact on mood and helps combat stress. Exercise releases endorphins, hormones that generate a feeling of well-being and reduce stress and anxiety.
And he added: “It also collaborates with cardiovascular health. Increased physical activity can strengthen the heart and blood vessels, lower blood pressure and improve circulation, thereby lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease.”
“Multiple studies agree that building muscle is probably the most important element in increasing metabolism” (Getty)
“We all want an accelerated metabolism, we all want to be able to manage the stress that makes us so bad in a healthy way,” Lescano contributed on this point. Stress causes an imbalance in the hormonal environment, affecting thyroid function, the most important when it comes to talking regarding an accelerated metabolism.
And following highlighting that “in social networks and the internet there is an abundance of information on how to activate the metabolism”, he opined that “much of it is wrong”. For her, “learning to manage excess exogenous/endogenous glucose is one of the keys”, and in this sense she delved into: “The prescription of exercise when our objective is health should only be given by professionals qualified for this purpose, to to be able to achieve that the practice is adequate for each metabolism”.
“Today it is known that through the intensity of an exercise hormones can be directed, as well as activate brown fat through the cold, and the correct diet can accelerate our metabolism,” said the specialist, for whom “the consequences of a slow metabolism, sooner or later, is the disease”.
To improve the metabolism of each person, the focus should be on improving habits (Getty)
Ozores agreed with her, for whom “maintaining an accelerated metabolism is very favorable from the regenerative point of view, since when talking regarding metabolism we are talking regarding all the regulatory functions of the organism, so having it accelerated means that all processes metabolic processes are done more efficiently and more optimally.” “So, not only does the person recover better following training, but they sleep better, have more energy, perform better at work, get sick less, are more hormonally and emotionally active, and fight depression,” he listed among the benefits .
“On the contrary, having a slow metabolism leads to, precisely, all the functions of the organism being carried out more slowly, with which recovering from an illness is slower, burning fat is slower, becoming active for any type of physical activity, mental or cognitive is slower, there is an excess of tiredness, and that impacts on physical, mental and emotional health”, he described, and ended: “A slow metabolism slows us down at the health level”.
To close, and taking into account that Aguirre Ackermann highlighted that “a slowed metabolism can be influenced by various factors, such as genetics, age (metabolism from adult life drops 150 kcal per decade), hormone levels and lifestyle”, the advice given by specialists is well worth it to implement what is within everyone’s reach to improve their metabolism, and ultimately, their health.
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