Metabolism is the amount of energy (calories) your body burns to maintain itself. Whether you are eating, drinking, sleeping, cleaning etc... your body is constantly burning calories to keep you going.
Metabolism is affected by your body composition. By body composition, I mean the amount of muscle you have versus the amount of fat. Muscle uses more calories to maintain itself than fat. People who are more muscular (and have a lower percentage of body fat) are said to have a higher metabolism than others that are less muscular. For example, let's say you have two people who are the exact same height and weight. One exercises on a regular basis with weights, in addition to aerobic exercise, and has a low percentage of body fat. The other never exercises and has a higher percentage of body fat. The first person who exercises will have a higher metabolism than the second person. What this basically means is that person #1's body will use more calories to sustain itself than person #2.
Begin to exercise and stop dieting. If you've never exercised before, make sure you see a doctor before beginning a new exercise program (your problems with metabolism may be the result of a medical condition rather than your diet or lack of exercise).
You can increase your muscle mass by doing some type of resistance work (i.e. lifting weights, using exertubes, rubberbands, dynabands, hand weights etc...). You can also decrease your level of body fat by doing some type of aerobic exercise at least 3 days a week for longer than 20 minutes. By aerobic exercise, I mean an activity (such as walking, jogging, step aerobics, hi/low aerobics, biking, swimming etc...) that will increase your heartrate into the target zone and keep it there for the duration of the exercise session. You also need to eat! - Do not diet, just watch the types of foods you eat. Try to eat a diet that is lower in fat (check the labels on the foods that you buy).
After the age of 30, your body gradually begins to lose it's muscle. If your activity level stays the same and the amount of calories you eat stay the same, you will gain weight because your metabolism has slowed down (you don't have as much muscle as you did in your 20's). If you exercise with weights and do some type of aerobic activity on a regular basis, you probably won't notice much of a change in your metabolism as you age.
Symptoms of slow metabolism include fatigue, feeling cold, dry skin, constipation, a slow pulse and low blood pressure. These symptoms could be the result of a medical condition rather than low metabolism - MAKE SURE YOU SEE YOUR DOCTOR to rule out any type of medical problem.
If you eat a very low-calorie diet, your metabolism will slow down in order for your body to survive (your body thinks it is starving).
If your diet has resulted in a loss of muscle and an increase in your percentage of body fat, then your metabolism has probably slowed down.
Yes it does. Everyone has a different bone structure and body type (mesomorph, ectomorph, endomorph or combination). It is not realistic to think that everyone can look like the Baywatch beauties or like Arnold Schwartzenagger. However, given your body type and genetic make-up, you can exercise (with weights and aerobically) to look the best that you can.
This is a tough question and one that I am frequently asked. Most experts agree that weight training and aerobic exercise do increase metabolism while you are exercising and after you are done. They disagree on how long after exercise your metabolism remains increased.
When you are exercising aerobically, your focus should be on burning calories and working your cardiovascular system. Because it takes more calories to exercise, your metabolism is sped up during the activity.
When you are lifting weights or doing other resistance work, focus on the activity itself which not only burns calories but increases muscle strength, tone and endurance.
The combination of aerobic activity and weight training will result in a body that has more muscle and less fat - so the end result will be a higher metabolism.
I hope this clears up some of the confusion you may have on metabolism.
DIABETES:
Diabetes (diabetes mellitus) is classed as a metabolism disorder. Metabolism refers to the way our bodies use digested food for energy and growth. Most of what we eat is broken down into glucose. Glucose is a form of sugar in the blood - it is the principal source of fuel for our bodies.
When our food is digested the glucose makes its way into our bloodstream. Our cells use the glucose for energy and growth. However, glucose cannot enter our cells without insulin being present - insulin makes it possible for our cells to take in the glucose.
Insulin is a hormone that is produced by the pancreas. After eating, the pancreas automatically releases an adequate quantity of insulin to move the glucose present in our blood into the cells, and lowers the blood sugar level.
A person with diabetes has a condition in which the quantity of glucose in the blood is too elevated (hyperglycemia). This is because the body either does not produce enough insulin, produces no insulin, or has cells that do not respond properly to the insulin the pancreas produces. This results in too much glucose building up in the blood. This excess blood glucose eventually passes out of the body in urine. So, even though the blood has plenty of glucose, the cells are not getting it for their essential energy and growth requirements.
Diabetes Type 1 - You produce no insulin at all.
Diabetes Type 2 - You don't produce enough insulin, or your insulin is not working properly.
Gestational Diabetes - You develop diabetes just during your pregnancy.
Diabetes Types 1 & 2 are chronic medical conditions - this means that they are persistent and perpetual. Gestational Diabetes usually resolves itself after the birth of the child.
IT CAN BE PREVENT:
Diet
There is no one magic diet that works for everyone. Nor is there a single diet that works best for one individual over a long time. Pay attention to your genetics, and to your ethnic group's traditional foods. If you are African American, that does not mean overcooked vegetables or pork rinds. Such garbage came on the nutritional scene only recently, and is not a true ethnic food. The same is true for Italians who overdose on pepperoni pizza. Being Italian myself as, well as having enjoyed fantastic African cuisine, I can tell you there is a lot more to these diets than the recent introductions often associated with these cultural groups.
Except for Eskimos and a few other highly specialized ethnic groups, all diets must adhere to the same few macronutrient rules. For example:
Did you know that the peanuts offered on airlines are LESS fattening than the fat-free pretzels? It's true. Stay away from fat-free foods--they make your insulin levels do a yo-yo, and that makes you put on fat. Yuck. Worse, it sets the stage for adult-onset diabetes.
Do NOT eat white flour, bleached flour, enriched flour, or any other kind of wheat flour that is not whole wheat. The glycemic effects of such flours will work against you. Eat whole grain flours, and try to get a variety. Amaranth and soy are two good flours. Eat oat groats instead of oatmeal. In short, get your grains in the least-processed form you can. This holds true for everyone, regardless of genetics (unless you have a malabsorption problem). This one "trick" will help you keep your insulin level on an even keel, and that is paramount to diabetes prevention and management.
What also holds true for everyone is: drink lots of water! Fill a gallon jug twice a day, and make sure you drink all of it. Once you get as lean as you want to be, cut back to a single gallon if you want to. For added fat loss, drink chilled (but not super cold) water. Sodas do not count. Such beverages are extremely unhealthy, for reasons I won't cover here. However, I will say that if you want to get osteoporosis, soft drinks are for you. Soft drinks make for soft bones.
Make sure to eat at least 5 or 6 small meals a day, rather than one big one. Doing so levels out your insulin and your blood sugar. Forget about that full feeling. If you find yourself overeating out of anxiety or boredom, fix the underlying problem -- don't add to it by poor eating!
Exercise
You need to build muscle and burn fat. How many lean, muscular people do you know with diabetes? OK, so listen! Live the lean lifestyle, and you will be way ahead in the diabetes game. See: Exercise!
Walking is a great exercise. Do it every day, and you'll raise your metabolic rate, as well as level out your blood sugar. This means you will burn extra calories even while you are sitting in front of your computer or sleeping in your bed! Look at the ways you save calories, and then spend them instead. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park away from the door, instead of up close. Use a pushmower instead of a riding mower. Pay attention to what you do and think of how you can burn more calories while doing it.
