How to Change Your Metabolism

Exercise: Train your body to burn more fat/calories daily, even while watching TV. This can be true if you really understand it. Think of yourself as a water balloon with a hole in it. If more water is coming in than is leaking out, you get bigger. If more is going out than is coming in; you get smaller.

Exercise is the best and most lasting way to raise your metabolism. Some research suggests one hard workout can raise your metabolism for up to 15 hours after the workout. Aerobic exercise is the most effective for raising your metabolism. It is best to get suggestions from your doctor to determine your safe maximum heart rate and confirm that your diet and exercise plans are safe. You can get an estimate for your target heart rate on-line. The general idea is to change your metabolism by raising your heart rate through exercise. To make a significant change in your metabolism, your goal is to raise your heart rate to 77-93% of your maximum heart rate and maintain it for a minimum of 20-30 minutes. Repeat this process on a regular basis. At least three times per week is recommended by most experts to make lasting changes in your metabolism. Of course, daily is better if your body can handle it. Be careful about products that claim to change your metabolism. Although there are some that may help, but the best way to permanently change your metabolism is correctly exercising.

What's My Target Heart Rate?

Working out at lower target heart rats may be recommended by your doctor depending upon you condition. Habits like smoking will drastically lower your target heart rate. In a common healthy person maximum hear rate is determined by subtraction your age from 220. There are slight variations in the standard methods, here we have chosen the CDC.gov standard. You then take this and multiply it by 77% and 93% to get the target heart rate range for your workouts. Some trainers use 80% to be safe. An example: 35 years old - 220-35=185 bpm maximum heart rate. 185X 0.77 = 142 bpm, and 185 x 0.93 = 172 bpm; so his/her target heart range is from 142-172 bpm.

You should raise your heart rate slowly, taking ten minutes or more to reach your target heart rate to warm up; maintain your range for 20-30 minutes; then take around ten minutes to slow down at the end of your workout. The goal is to reach a high enough heart rate to burn fat and make changes to your metabolism. Usually you will be sweating evenly all over your body when you reach your optimum heart rate and can still breathe or talk comfortably. Hold this heart rate level for at least 30 minutes and repeat this process three times per week.

If you have not exercised this way for a long time, smoke, or you have other medical conditions, it may be dangerous to reach 80% of your maximum heart rate in your first work outs. You may not be able to maintain your target range for 30 minutes, especially if you experience joint or knee pain. Listen to your body and your doctor. You may have to work up to this goal over six weeks or more to reach it safely.

Remember it took time to get fat, it takes time to change your metabolism and get fit again. Changing your metabolism is the best way to loose weight for long term health. Changing your habits to begin a new lifestyle is the real way to keep the weight from coming back.