.jpg "A couple of women discussing exercise routines in the gym")
In my last few posts I have been revisiting the topic of boosting your metabolism. I began by explaining exactly what metabolism is and then moved on to explain how eating affects your metabolism. Today I am going to discuss how exercise affects your metabolism.
As I mentioned in previous articles metabolism is influenced by three main factors:
- Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) (the number of calories you burn performing the basic functions that keep you alive).
- Your level of Physical Activity.
- The Thermic Effect of Foods that you Eat (the number of calories it takes to digest and absorb the foods you eat).
Exercise can have an impact on two of these factors; your BMR and (fairly obviously) your level of Physical Activity. There are two main types of exercise that can affect your metabolism; Cardiovascular Exercise and Resistance Training and I will be discussing both of them below.
HOW DOES CARDIOVASCULAR EXERCISE BOOST YOUR METABOLISM?
Cardiovascular exercise (also known as aerobic exercise) is anything that involves or improves your body’s oxygen consumption. Examples include cycling, jogging, sprinting, skipping, rowing and walking. These types of exercise boost your metabolism quite simply because they require additional calories to perform. Even something as simple as walking for 30 minutes a day will boost your metabolism slightly as this requires more calories than sitting still and not moving.
Cardiovascular exercises also slightly increase your metabolism for a few hours after exercising. According to this article you can burn up to 15% more calories than normal in the 48 hours following a cardiovascular workout. So if you normally burn 2000 calories per day and you do a cardiovascular workout three times per week which burns 500 calories a session then you could potentially burn an extra 3600 calories per week (1500 calories from the three cardiovascular workouts and an additional 300 calories per day from the 15% post workout increase).
HOW DOES RESISTANCE TRAINING BOOST YOUR METABOLISM?
Resistance training (also known as strength training or weight lifting) is anything that involves using resistance to build strength and muscle mass. Examples include bodyweight training, using weight machines and lifting free weights. Resistance training also burns additional calories during the workout but the main way it boosts your metabolism is by increasing your muscle mass. Muscle requires more calories to maintain than fat. The difference is not huge but according to About.com a pound of muscle requires 6 calories per day to maintain whilst a pound of fat requires 2 calories per day to maintain. Therefore, by performing regular resistance training and building muscle mass you can increase your BMR and the overall amount of calories you burn on a day to day basis.
WHICH EXERCISES SHOULD I PERFORM TO MAXIMISE MY METABOLISM?
Both types of exercise are useful for boosting your metabolism. Regular cardiovascular exercise increases the amount of calories you burn through physical activity whilst regular resistance training will increase your lean muscle mass and therefore increase the number of calories you burn whilst resting. In combination the two types of exercise can give your metabolism quite a boost.
I hope this article has fully outlined how exercise influences your metabolism. A good exercise routine can boost your metabolism and burn quite a few calories. However, you need to remember that exercise alone cannot compensate for a poor diet. If you are eating too much then you will not be able to remedy this with exercise (unless you exercise A LOT). Exercise can boost your metabolism but you need to get your diet right too.
Do you guys agree? Do you think diet is more important than exercise when it comes to controlling your weight? Are there any other ways that exercise can boost your metabolism? Let me now your thoughts by leaving a comment.
Sources:
How Many Calories Does Muscle Really Burn (About.com)
The Post Workout Calorie Burn (BNET)
About Tom
Yes, I think diet plays a big part. It’s calories in ‘v’ calories out that results in weight loss/gain.
Anything active will result in boosting your metabolism. I’m even conscious of it when I’m doing the hoovering!! lol
I think most people will do less (zero) resistance training than cardio when trying to lose fat. It’s easier to walk than lift a weight! And I really dont think that the masses realise the importance of maintaining muscle. For every person I know trying to lose weight, I’d say 1 out of 10 will do resistance exercises. Sad but true!
Tusc :D
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It is also important if you lose weight, you have to exercise and eat less, both. If you don’t exercise while trying to lose weight, you will end up with flab.
Marie Hughes
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It is also important if you lose weight by dieting you also have to exercise or you have left over flab.
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Tom Reply:
February 21st, 2009 at 3:13 pm
Hi Marie – Totally agree. Both diet and exercise are important but I think diet just edges it as the key factor. If you check out my other posts on boosting metabolism you will see how they can both impact your metabolism.
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In response to what Marie said about the left over flab, when exercising incorporating weights into your exercise routine is very important as well so you don’t have the problem of left over flab. My personal trainer Roland Semprie, whom I train with 3 times a week, says that weights are the key to boosting your metabolism and sculpting your body into a wonderful shape.
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Tom Reply:
March 18th, 2009 at 1:43 am
Hey SO – Thanks for your comments. Resistance training should indeed be part of your fitness routine. They help build muscle mass which as I say in the article does help boost your metabolism because muscle requires more calories to maintain than fat.
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I have lupus and suffer a lot from fatigue. I also have interstitial lung disease as a result. I have been told that I have to exercise so I work out almost everyday. I found that when I exercise I am able to do a lot more plus it is beneficial for the lung problem. I think exercise and eating properly is good for most ailments. I think it is important to be active as you grow up and you certainly need to be active as you grow older. I do walking and weight training on a regular basis.
Marie Hughes
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Tom Reply:
March 28th, 2009 at 10:14 pm
Totally agree Marie. Exercise and healthy eating can help with so many things. A lot of people don’t seem to realise this but a healthy lifestyle is one of the best protective factors against disease that you can find.
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They’re both equally important, you would be amazed at the ammount of people who think that because they’re now taking exercise they can still eat whatever they like. Find it suprising though that RHR ‘resting heart rate’ is not mentioned here.
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Tom Reply:
June 2nd, 2009 at 7:52 am
Hey Mike. Thanks for your comments. I would actually argue that diet is slightly more important. I think diet is the foundation of good health and then exercise builds on this foundation. Anyway I agree that it is truly amazing how many people truly believe they can compensate for a poor diet with exercise.
As for the query regarding RHR I’m not sure exactly what you mean? Is there something I have missed? What is the link to metabolism?
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Good info on how to increase one’s metabolism with a diet and exercise plan customized to one’s needs. I agree that concentrating on resistance training will aid in this process. Thanks for this post.
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Tom Reply:
September 5th, 2010 at 6:31 pm
Glad you enjoyed the article.
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Great post, particularly the mention about diet – people seem to think more about the number of calories that they’re eating, than the quality. Even if you eat a calorie-restricted diet, if it’s composed mostly of Big Macs and sweets they’ll never be healthy, fit or strong. It’s a shame that people look at healthy eating and think of diets rather than a lifestyle.
Women in particular seem to be weary of resistance training and prefer cardio-only rather than rounded work outs. I think the moment you say ‘building muscle’ women tend to shy away, thinking of female body builders, rather than realising that they need to work hard to maintain quality muscle mass and strength as they get older.
http://northlondonkickboxing.blogspot.com
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Tom Reply:
January 21st, 2011 at 9:45 pm
Totally agree Valeria. Women do tend to avoid resistance training and stick to cardio but then I suppose a lot of guys avoid cardio and only hit the weights. Whether you are male or female, the best workout routine is a combination of cardio and resistance training.
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Your post id very informative. It’s true that metabolism should be accompanied with exercise. This is true to everyone, but what is on how we can go through this without motivation? It’s easy to get into shape if you are just dedicated to what you are aiming for.
If you lack of motivation to do this here are some helpful tips that might help you.
Adam
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Tom Reply:
February 24th, 2011 at 12:15 am
Hey Adam. Motivation is very important. I have written a few articles on this topic which can be viewed by clicking here and I hope to expand on this topic in the future.
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Great article!
I know from personal experience that diet is just as, if not more important than exercise. I used to “reward” myself for a good workout by eating chocolate and sugary treats – not good. I wondered why I was actually getting fatter and still feeling sluggish!
Since starting to eat a healthy diet and cutting out sugar I have much more energy and have seen great improvements in my fitness levels as well as fat loss. I am sure my metabolism is working better now – I certainly feel better :-)
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Tom Reply:
February 25th, 2011 at 1:15 am
Hey Bridget. Totally agree. I’d even go as far as saying that 60%-70% of your results are down to diet. Food is like your body’s fuel. If you give your body high quality food then it can perform to its full potential when you exercise. If you give your body low quality food then it cannot perform as efficiently. Plus, there’s also countless health benefits associated with eating high quality foods. Diet really is a decisive factor.
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As both a nutritionalist and a personal trainer, i believe that there must always be a balance between the amount of intake versus the cardio vascular output everyday. It is no secret that a balanced diet and a regular workout using the right muscle groups will lead to a healthy lifestyle.
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Tom Reply:
March 20th, 2011 at 5:59 pm
Thanks for the comments. Glad you agree.
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There is no workout that can bit a diet. Food is very important for melting fat. Also resistant training, I would recommend total body workout, or circular workout, combined with cardio as walking, running – my favorite is hitting the punch bag, would be great formula for boosting metabolism and burning fat.
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Tom Reply:
April 22nd, 2011 at 11:08 am
Hey Sinisa – Totally agree. You can’t out exercise a poor diet.
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This is some great information. It took me a while to get on the right track to lose weight. I had to change my exercise plan up. One thing I did was stop doing the same exercises I realize you should keep your body out of it’s comfort zone.
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Tom Reply:
July 4th, 2011 at 3:03 pm
Thanks for the feedback Jay.
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Thanks for this. I’ve been hitting the gym hard lately ans have found exactly what you’ve said about resistance machinery improving metabolism.
Great advice… Thanks :)
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