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How many times have you started a diet, followed the directions, done the exercises, ate the foods and NOT lost weight? What do you do? Consider it a failure and move on? Or, just give up? Well, the issue isn't the diet. It's not about the exercise either. It's your metabolism. Many people fail to understand that the faster the body is able to metabolize the energy it uses, the less likely the body is able to keep the energy it doesn't use as stored fat. Thus, if you increase your metabolism, your diets will work. But, how do you do that?
First, look at your eating habits: Do you eat breakfast? You have heard the following phrase for years: "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day". But, do you know why? Look at it this way: You have slept anywhere between 6 to 7 hours, and you probably will not eat lunch for another four hours. This tells your body to go into starvation mode and start storing fat. So, what is the result of that action? Your metabolism slows down. Because your body isn't signaled to know when it will obtain its next meal, it stores any food-energy (calories) you put into it, as excess fat.
One easy method to combat this is to simply eat a balanced breakfast. Some orange juice, whole wheat or multi-grain toast, eggs, and Canadian bacon are great for everyone. Your body already needs energy as you have just woken up, and if you provide the energy it needs, it will eventfully not rely on your muscle to keep those energy reserves up. It will instead, rely on the food you put into your body. Thus, it will begin to shed those annoying levels of body-fat.
Think of it this way: If you had the choice of a nice lean piece of meat to eat or a large cup of fat to chug down, which would you choose? Your body chooses the lean meat (a.k.a. muscle) too. After your body is in "starvation mode" for too long, your muscle mass will have been depleted and most likely turned to stored fat as well. You will then have what is called "soft muscle tissue" and a higher body fat percentage.
Secondly, consider the timing of your meals: You should remember to eat all of your meals before 8 pm every day. Now, as a slight caveat: If you work a night-shift schedule, and have been on that schedule for a few weeks, your body already is switching its sleeping and digestive systems around to match your schedule. Thus, instead of 8pm, you need to adjust that to about 2-3 hours before you go to bed.
If you remember to do this, you will give your body ample time to digest your food. You will also burn off most of the calories in that food before you go to bed.
Next, consider your caloric intake. Okay, so you probably just went: 'Um, what now?" Don't worry, it's quite simple: When you are dieting, it is very important not to dip below 1,200 calories in your daily intake. Guess what happens when you dip below about 1,200 calories...
That's right, your body again enters starvation mode. Once your body enters into starvation mode, it can take weeks, even months, to remove yourself from that stage. Your metabolism will also decrease, and lastly, your body will begin storing fat again for energy reserves. There is nothing worse than failing on a diet simply because you broke your limit on calories. Keep a good eye on that.
Lastly, drink plenty of water. You should be drinking about 6 to 8 glasses of water a day. If you are not, adjust your schedule and habits to match. If you cannot provide adequate hydration to your body, your system will begin to store water reserves from the food you eat. Guess where that 'reserve' goes? Straight to your fat cells causing the look of cellulite. Cellulite is very difficult to remove from your system. It's caused by an uneven distribution of fat in your fat cells giving your skin that dimpled look. Remember to drink plenty of water and stay hydrated so your body can flush out those fat cells.
Some quick tips: Once your diet is stable, and your exercise plan is healthy, consider replacing some of your snacks with great metabolism boosting foods: Acai berries, green tea, vitamin B supplements, almonds, and finally some tasty fruit shakes. All of these will increase your body's ability to metabolize faster, and thus, reduce its need to store fat.
So, how does all of the above help you gain metabolism boosting muscle? Well, you will not be able to accomplish this task unless your body is healthy, prepared, and well hydrated. Once you start on the path described above, you can then begin to build the muscle you need.
To build muscle in your body, you may want to engage in activities such as anaerobic exercise, weight training or resistance exercise, and yoga. The muscle you build will not only be strong, but your body will have no reason to store fat with it. It will be able to remove toxins and lactic acid (what makes your muscles tired and cramped), quickly and efficiently, and finally, your muscles will be more active and lean.
The key term here is Metabolism. Use the energy you put into your body. If you do not put enough food-energy into the body, your body enters starvation mode. If you put too much food-energy into the body, it enters storage mode. Find the balance that works for you, and stick with it. You will see dramatic changes, and feel not only revitalized, but much younger than you do now!
About this Author
For TONS of fitness tips and secrets to getting six pack abs, check out my " Your Great Abs Blog ".
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