It's My Metabolism!

I am about as slow as a turtle -- that's what I say. So much so that some days I think I am on the stop version instead of the slow version. I am trying to change that. I was not always this way, I have been known to run circles around other people, but the older I get, the slower I get, and I do not like it.

I have been working on my metabolism for a while now. I am still slow, but once I talk to myself and tell myself to kick it up a notch, I will go faster, and really, that does help. I also drink a concoction that is suppose to help the metabolism. It is:

6-8ounces of pineapple juice, 1 Tablespoon of Flaxseed Oil, and 1 Tablespoon of Lechitin Granules

Stir it up and drink. It doesn't taste bad, and I know the ingredients are excellent for me, but I am not sold on the metabolism story. I will keep drinking it, though, just for the nutrient value.

The metabolism is so important. I always hear it is our metabolism that makes us gain weight or keeps us from taking off the pounds. Well, that is kinda true because the metabolism converts what we eat and drink into energy. So, if we are eating all "bad" stuff, that weight gain is going to happen. "Bad" stuff includes all those fast foods we Americans know so well and what made us walk around with the extra weight in the first place before we knew better; as well, let's not forget the sweets we love so much -- the donuts, cakes, pies, cookies. Now, put us in front of a TV or computer, and we hardly get in 3,000 steps a day let alone the 10,000 that are good for us. What to do, what to do.

In the beginning, I could walk 4 miles in about 50 minutes, and I felt good and looked even better. Now, according to the treadmill's calculations, I can walk 1 mile in under 30 minutes -- like 29 minutes. Bad, very bad. But, I keep doing it. And people are noticing. I am not changing my diet (except for the fast foods, they are basically unheard of now -- still into the chocolate, though, and donuts are restricted to only once a month --- ouch!!!!)

So, how can I help my metabolism run faster?

1. -- Strength training because muscle burns more than fat. On my to-do list.
2. -- Speed up my walk. Am doing, remember, I talk to myself to kick it up a notch. My goal is to walk the treadmill mile in 25 minutes. Baby steps.
3. -- Get rid of the trans fat (those fast foods and donuts). Half accomplished. Trans fats slow down the ability to burn fat. Not too smart if I walk and do strength training and then eat the wrong foods!
3. -- Eat omega-3 foods. Actually, this is an easy one for me (the flaxseed oil is filled with omega-3, and I love salmon and almonds). Done and ongoing.
4. -- Eat healthy breakfast, such as oatmeal with almonds and berries. I do this but not often. I need to incorporate this more, and I love oatmeal. A healthy breakfast gets the metabolism going.
5. -- Eat proteins because they burn at a slower rate and therefore burns more fat. No problem with this because I am a meat and egg eater. Lots of protein in my diet.
6. -- Eat smaller meals more times a day. Hard, hard, hard one for me. I have the bad habit of eating small during the day, and then once the evening meal hits, I am ravished, and I eat too much. Then, I am miserable, and I forget for the next day, or I don't eat much the next day. (Not Good At All because this is the habit that made my metabolism slow to begin with -- the yo-yo diet). Need to concentrate on this one.
7. -- Drink green tea. According to new research, drinking green tea is not only good for the antioxidant value but if you drink enough green tea (suggested is 40 ounces a day, that is 5-8 ounce glasses a day -- hot or cold) it helps your metabolism. I think I could incorporate this because I like tea and I am a water drinker. Which is always good for a person. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. I need to start drinking green tea.

Besides helping my metabolism work better, I needed to know my resting metabolism rate. I needed to know that because we need metabolism for small things like breathing, blood circulation, hormones, and growing and repairing cells.

I went to Shapeup.org and inserted my height, weight, age and gender and it calculated my resting metabolic rate. I wanted to know how it worked so I plugged in different weights and found the more I weight the more calories it takes to sustain life. So, as I lose weight, I do not need as many calories to sustain those simple things like breathing and blood circulation. Go to shapeup.org then go to resting metabolic rate calculator (you can find this on a pull down on top of the page) and find out your resting metabolic rate.

Until tomorrow...have a great day.