Expert: Ken Alan - 8/1/2007

Question
QUESTION: Hello, I am 19 yrs old 6' 185 lbs. I'm trying to lose body fat. I was wondering what I can do to increase my metabolism. I know there are specific foods that are better, but does the amount of food I eat at a time affect how long my metabolism goes. Also with exercise, is it better too do a longer slower run, or would sprints increase it better?
Thank you

ANSWER: Metabolism refers to all of the chemical processes that take place in the body, such as the burning of sugars (glucose) for energy and the release of digestive enzymes to break down food. Metabolism results in growth, the elimination of waste products (in urine and stool), healing of wounds, and other necessary activities of the body.

Many factors can affect the rate of metabolism, including exercise, diet, temperature, and hormones.  The amount of food you eat at a time doesn't have an appreciable affect on metabolism.  The frequency of how often you eat does.  Eating food requires energy to digest it.  It's generally better to have more frequent smaller meals throughout the day then a few bigger meals.

Both longer and slower runs, and sprints are beneficial for increasing metabolism in the short term.  Alternate between both of those types of exercise.  Strength training is beneficial for increasing metabolism permanantly as it increases your lean muscle mass, and that consumes calories 24 hours a day.

Hope this helps.



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you, that helped. But just to clarify, how much do I need to get my metabolism running. Forexample if I eat an apple, is that enough to really get it going?

Answer
Metabolism isn't on or off. There's no certain food or foods that gets it running.  Your metabolism is always on.  Anytime you consume a food, your metabolism will go up a little just from the process of digestion.  Every time you exert physical effort, your metabolism revs up a bit more.  The best thing to do to keep your metabolism high is to build muscle on your body and to do consistent regular exercise, including aerobic exercise.

Hope this helps.