| There are things that you hear mentioned from | | | | my desk, walk back to the car and drive |
| time to time. They seem to be common words | | | | home.Activity, such as my bicycle riding needs |
| or phrases, you tie them to a particular subject, | | | | energy, and revs up the metabolic rate, that is, |
| and you even think you understand what they | | | | the speed with which the energy is formed...and |
| mean. Sometimes, however, you don't really | | | | used up. This burns calories, and those calories |
| know what that word means and how it REALLY | | | | that are burned in the process cannot hang |
| relates to the subject you have come to | | | | around to become fat, which just...well, you know, |
| associate it with."Metabolism" is one of these | | | | hangs around.UNDERSTANDING AND USING |
| words. In the checkout line at the supermarket, | | | | YOUR METABOLISM AS PART OF YOUR |
| magazines have headlines like "This Food Can | | | | WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAMHaving learned about |
| Boost Your Metabolism". Your doctor says, "Your | | | | resting and rusting metabolism, it might seem that |
| metabolism has slowed down over the last few | | | | one quick answer is to simply eat less. To tell the |
| years". You even hear there's a new weight loss | | | | truth, for small, short term weight loss, just |
| craze called "Ultrametabolism".From these, and a | | | | knocking a few calories out of the diet might be |
| few hundred other situations, you have figured | | | | sufficient. However, those lost pounds will |
| out that metabolism has something to do with | | | | eventually find their way home, and possibly bring |
| weight loss, and maybe weight gain, but do you | | | | some friends with them, and dieting has additional |
| really know what the relationship is, how one | | | | pitfalls that can't be covered here. One pitfall you |
| affects the other, and what you can do about it? | | | | DO need to know about is that if your diet takes |
| Those are three questions we will try to answer, | | | | your calorie intake below a certain point for a |
| briefly, but with enough information for you to | | | | while, your body will adjust its metabolic rate to a |
| use what you have learned to improve your | | | | new, permanent, lower level, and will not only |
| weight loss program.WHAT IS | | | | maintain your weight on fewer calories, but may |
| METABOLISM?Metabolism as word or process can | | | | actually begin increasing your weight again. If you |
| be defined in two simple statements. First, it is | | | | go off that calorie-restricted diet, your body will |
| the chemical process within your body for the | | | | keep on chugging along on fewer calories and |
| maintenance of life, yielding energy and forming | | | | your weight will go back up, possibly even higher |
| substances necessary to life, such as blood, bone, | | | | than it was before. Since your metabolism is now |
| muscle, fat, and so on. Second, it is the | | | | at a lower rate, it will be even harder to lose |
| processing of specific substances, such as fat | | | | weight the next time.TIP: Although a diet might |
| metabolism, iodine metabolism, and many others. | | | | not be the answer, if you are a typical human of |
| While both of these relate to what we are talking | | | | the 21st century, you are probably consuming |
| about, the first statement is the important one | | | | some things you could do without or in quantities |
| for you at the moment. YOUR METABOLISM is | | | | in excess of what you need. Sugar, for example. |
| how YOUR BODY goes about extracting energy | | | | Or let's look at that ice cream box. The last one I |
| from food, building and repairing tissue and organs, | | | | saw said there were 16 servings in there. A few |
| and how efficiently it does this. That last part | | | | years ago, one of those boxes lasted through |
| about efficiency is a key point in weight loss and | | | | four servings for me. Take a look around, there |
| weight gain.HOW IS METABOLISM RELATED TO | | | | ARE some changes you can make.Increased |
| WEIGHT LOSS...AND WEIGHT GAIN?At various | | | | activity (okay, I'll say the bad word..."exercise") |
| times in your life, your metabolism worked in | | | | can take care of the rusting metabolism rate. I |
| different ways. Many of you can remember the | | | | walked 45 minutes on my walker yesterday and |
| days when you could eat anything you wanted | | | | burned over 250 calories. Although many factors |
| and never gain a pound...a large pizza, three sodas | | | | such as nutritional supplements can have small |
| with sugar, and some cinnamon sticks, and | | | | effects on resting metabolism, the two major |
| absolutely no change!In the younger years of | | | | factors are age and activity. You and I probably |
| your life, your metabolism is in the high gears, | | | | agree that we cannot do a d***** thing about |
| probably the highest gears it will ever be in. For | | | | age. What we do have control over is activity. |
| most of you in these years, weight gain and | | | | Increasing your exercise or activity level has two |
| weight loss are not really issues. Some people, | | | | basic effects in terms of metabolism. Exercise |
| however, do have slower metabolic rates, and | | | | burns calories and raises the resting metabolic |
| may have genetic tendencies or clinical conditions | | | | rate.EXERCISE BURNS CALORIESWhen you use |
| which cause them to have more of a weight gain | | | | your remote control to change channels on the |
| than others of their age group. No matter which | | | | TV, you barely change your resting rate. If you |
| group you find yourself in, changing your | | | | stand up and walk across the room to change the |
| metabolic rate, revving up your metabolism, will | | | | channel and walk back to your chair, you have |
| increase the speed and efficiency with which your | | | | just....oh my God!...exercised. Not only that, you |
| body turns food into energy and body "parts and | | | | have burned a few more calories simply by |
| pieces".Unfortunately, as you have long suspected, | | | | getting up off your...Sorry, I meant...out of the |
| as you aged, your metabolism slowed down. Part | | | | chair. Go for a walk, swim, garden, ride a bike, |
| of this is just something the body does with age, | | | | take the dog for a walk. If exercising in public |
| part of it, while somewhat related to age, is the | | | | embarrasses you, blame it on the dog! "Yeah, the |
| effect of changes which take place in your way | | | | vet said he needed to get out more. HE'S putting |
| of life as you age. Fortunately, both are | | | | on a few pounds." Go ahead, try it. Nobody will |
| somewhat reversible, essentially through the | | | | think you're walking yourself...right? Whatever it is, |
| same process. More on this in the last section. | | | | do it every day or at least several times a week, |
| The part where your body just slows down has | | | | and you will burn off some of those extra calories |
| to do with "resting metabolism", and the other | | | | and pounds of fat.EXERCISE RAISES YOUR |
| part...well, let's just call that "rusting | | | | RESTING METABOLIC RATEThere are some |
| metabolism".RESTING METABOLISMWhen you | | | | exercise activities, usually of an aerobic nature, |
| are doing something that doesn't seem to | | | | that, when done over time. tend to shift the body |
| demand energy, your body still needs to do some | | | | to a higher metabolic rate. If you go out for a |
| housekeeping activities. Your diaphragm expands | | | | long walk today, you will burn some extra calories |
| and contracts and your heart pumps blood for | | | | while walking. Take that long walk every day for |
| example. Tissues are repaired and waste products | | | | several weeks, and your resting metabolic rate |
| are carried off. While you're sitting there in a | | | | will actually go up, and you will burn more calories |
| semi-vegetative state watching reruns, your body | | | | when you are in front of the TV. Not only that, |
| is hard at work.As you age, this resting metabolic | | | | your metabolic rate will remain increased for a |
| rate decreases. At least one estimate puts the | | | | while after you finish your exercise activity, so |
| decrease at approximately 10% between | | | | instead of simply burning excess calories during |
| childhood and retirement, and another 10% after | | | | the exercise, you will continue to burn excess |
| that. Odds are that you still like the pizza, and | | | | calories over a short period following it.Other |
| soda, and cinnamon sticks, but your body doesn't | | | | exercise activities, such as resistance activities, |
| change as much into energy as it used to. Your | | | | build lean muscle mass. Muscle tissue burns more |
| internal maintenance doesn't get done as | | | | calories than other types of tissue, such as fat |
| efficiently as it used to either, so there tends to | | | | tissue, so building lean muscle mass not only burns |
| be some more "stuff" left over after the meal | | | | calories during the exercise, but the lean muscle |
| that disappeared into thin air when you were a | | | | mass you add to your body will continue to burn |
| teenager. This decrease happens to just about | | | | calories, helping to increase your resting metabolic |
| everybody, so if you didn't have a weight | | | | rate.TIP: Daily activity will burn excess calories and |
| problem in high school, you may see fat | | | | increase your metabolism. Changing some of your |
| accumulating on your body as you age. If you | | | | eating habits, such as cutting out unnecessary |
| DID have a weight problem in your younger | | | | fats and carbs (yes, some fats are necessary) |
| years, it will probably just get worse.RUSTING | | | | and watching portion sizes, will cut down excess |
| METABOLISMIn addition to the natural changes | | | | calories that your body has to deal with. This |
| that come with age, you have made some | | | | double barreled approach will give you the most |
| changes in your lifestyle as you aged as well. In | | | | effective permanent weight loss |
| my younger years, I rode a bicycle to and from | | | | experience.Donovan Baldwin is a Dallas area writer. |
| school, two miles each way, five days a week. | | | | A graduate of the University Of West Florida |
| For some of that time, I had a paper route and | | | | (1973) with a BA in accounting, he is a member |
| rode my bicycle over a two mile stretch every | | | | of Mensa and has held several managerial |
| day, pedaling a bike with a heavy load of papers | | | | positions. After retiring from the U. S. Army in |
| for about a mile to get to the route, and throwing | | | | 1995, he became interested in internet marketing |
| papers right and left (and, yes, I did get my | | | | and developed various online businesses. He has |
| papers on the porch). For fun on the weekends | | | | been writing poetry, articles, and essays for over |
| and during the summer, you guessed it, I rode | | | | 40 years, and now frequently publishes articles on |
| my bike all over Pensacola, Florida. As an adult, I | | | | his own websites and for use by other |
| would walk out to my car, drive to work, walk to | | | | webmasters. |