Chalene Weighs in on Metabolism

Question: What IS my metabolism? And how can I make it work for me?

By definition, metabolism is the set of chemical reactions that occur in living organisms in order to maintain life. These processes allow organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments.

So, although that may sound like scientific mumbo jumbo, it’s important to realize that in order to understand your metabolism and how to make it work for you, you’ve got to think in terms of what you are – a living, breathing organism.

Your body doesn’t know and doesn’t care that you’ll hurt Aunt Carol’s feeling if you don’t eat her triple chocolate cheesecake. Nor does it know where to find that juicy, drippy, cheesy burger the fast food commercial is advertising. And, it could care less how you look in your skinny jeans. Your body is just trying to efficiently use the energy you put in it to survive and reproduce.

Fast? Slow? How does it work?
"The process of metabolism establishes the rate at which we burn our calories and, ultimately, how quickly we gain weight or how easily we lose it," says Robert Yanagisawa, MD, director of the Medically Supervised Weight Management Program at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York.

You can also think of it in terms of efficiency. Like a car, if your body is more fine-tuned it is more efficient and likely to run faster. But, why are some people more efficient at burning calories, and why do some struggle with slow metabolism?

There are a number of factors that influence metabolism. Some we can control and others we cannot. The good news is that you can control nearly 75% of the factors that influence metabolism! Refer to the chart below and click on each factor to learn specific strategies for maximizing your metabolism to get results.

	Factors That Influence Metabolism		Description
	YOU CAN CONTROL!	Activity Level	Increased Activity = Increased Calorie Burn
		Lean Body Mass	More Lean Muscle = Higher Metabolic Rate
		Eating Frequency	Eat More Often = Keep Metabolism Going Stronger/Burn More Calories
		Sleep	Getting adequate sleep is as important to your health as eating right and exercising
		Stress Management	Stress happens; it’s what you do to manage stress that makes a difference
		Nutrition	Proper Nutrition = Increased efficiencies in the body
	PRE-SET	Age	Metabolism naturally slows about 5% per decade after age 40
		Sex	Men generally burn more calories at rest than women
		Heredity	You can thank your ancestors later

The key to success in most weight loss and fitness programs is maximizing your metabolic potential. Without proper attention to how your efforts and habits affect your metabolism, your progress may be slow and it may be tough to maintain motivation to achieve your fitness goals. It’s promising to know that you actually can control your metabolism and you can do so by making small changes. Focus on developing one new metabolism-enhancing habit at a time, and soon you will find that you have more energy and achieve greater results.