Do You Know there are 3 Types of Metabolism

Metabolism is defined by the Mayo Clinic as the conversion of food into energy. Health Magazine defines it as how quickly and efficiently your body burns calories. I like to think of our metabolisms as the amount of energy the body is able to use in any given day. Calories are units of energy. The metabolism is the bodies ability to use that energy, or store it if it goes unused.

The bodies metabolism is separated into 3 parts.

1. RMR Resting Metabolic Rate

This is the part of our metabolism that is used to keep our

organs functioning. It keeps us alive. This is the part of the

metabolism that uses energy when we sleep, while we're

sitting around watching TV, reading, or sitting in a car. This

accounts for most of the body's energy expenditure, which

is roughly around 60-75%

2. Active Metabolism

This is the part of the metabolism that is responsible for

any and all physical activity, such as walking, cleaning,

weight lifting, etc. This accounts for 10-15% of the body's

total energy use. This is the part of the metabolism that we

have the most control over. This is the piece that mostly

affects our quality of life.

3. Diet-Induced Thermogenesis

This energy is used to digest food and convert it into more

energy. This accounts for 8-12% of the body's metabolism.

Science has shown us that there are some foods that are proven to speed up the metabolism and use more calories. Spicy foods, such as peppers, chili, cinnamon, and green tea increase the Diet-Induced Thermogeneis. But this is only about a 1% increase, so don't think that you can eat a bunch of donuts followed by spicy food and your weight will melt away. You'd probably get an ulcer before you saw any significant weight loss. What I find fascinating about this, is that ayurveda said this over 5,000 years ago, before scientific studies and lab testing. Pitta (known as one of the 3 doshas, or body types) foods were said to increase agni (the body's digestive fire...i.e. metabolism). Pitta foods include anything spicy or warm. But I wouldn't count on this as a weight loss method.

If your'e trying to rev up your metabolism, your best bet is consistent exercise and a well balanced diet of whole foods. Consider this...1 pound of muscle uses 7-10 calories a day. One pound of fat uses 2-3 calories a day. Again, if your goal is to increase your metabolism, it makes sense to increase muscle and reduce fat. You do this by working your muscles to the point of fatigue. That means getting uncomfortable at least 2-3 times per week for a minimum of 20 minutes.

CONSISTENCY is the key. Exercising your major muscle groups to the point of fatigue consistently for 3 months will increase your RMR about 6%. This is also the time frame that you will begin to see results.

So all these get rich quick weight loss schemes promising 20 pound weigh loss in 1 month ... are bogus!

A safe weight loss is anywhere from 1-2 pounds per week. That's it. And that is with consistent workouts, and balanced diet.

Think about that before you buy into any promises of a ton of weight loss in a short amount of time. You might indeed lose weight, but it's not safe, and you're guaranteed to gain it all back and then some.

I hope you learned a little about the body's metabolism and how it works. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me, or comment below. As always, much love and namaste.

Sabrina is a Health & Fitness Instructor with more than 20 years of experience working in a variety of formats. She recently became an ayurveda health educator. She continues to teach classes live and works with clients online. To learn more, go to www.ayurvedacoach.org