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How to Maximize Your
Metabolism
By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
www.TurbulenceTraining.com
You cut calories and you exercise. You do exactly what the articles say -
Your calories out are greater than your calories in. You should be losing
fat. But if you aren’t, perhaps you’re still not paying attention to an
often forgotten factor of fat loss - your metabolism.
Your metabolism is a measure of how many calories you are burning each day.
But did you know that the food, exercise, and lifestyle choices you make
every day have a significant impact on your metabolism? For example, if you
starve yourself (instead of following a sensible fat-loss eating plan) your
metabolism will slow down. If your metabolism slows down, it means your
calories out will be less. And that means no more fat loss, and possibly
even continued fat gain.
So for every day that you continue to slow your metabolism with unhealthy
lifestyle choices, you get further and further away from fat loss. To help,
I’ve put together a list of the top 10 ways to maximize your metabolism, so
that you’ll burn as many calories as possible each day so that you can
finally lose the fat. For the exact workouts and nutrition plan to help you
lose the maximum amount of fat in as little time as possible, visit
Turbulence Training.
1. Don’t starve yourself! Cutting calories too much is one of the worst
things you can do to your body. Starving yourself actually causes you to
lose much more water weight and muscle than fat. Use fitday.com to find out
your daily calorie intake.
2. Eat 6-8 small meals per day with an emphasis on lean proteins, fruits,
and vegetables. You have to have a nutrition plan, so spend a couple hours
on a day off preparing as much food as you can for the upcoming week.
3. Eat breakfast. You have to make this meal part of your daily
metabolism-boosting plan. At the very least, eat a lean protein, drink some
Green Tea, and consume a fiber-rich fruit to get your fat loss day started
right.
4. Eat healthy fats. Sources of healthy fats included nuts, fish, olive oil,
and flax oil. I consume 10 grams of fish oil per day. Replace all processed
carbohydrates in your diet with almonds. For example, if you currently eat a
small bag of pretzels as a mid-afternoon snack, eat almonds instead (eating
the same number of total calories).
5. Eat high quality foods that will help you control your blood sugar
levels, insulin levels, and energy levels. Insulin management will help you
lose fat and prevent you form gaining fat. Controlling your hormone levels
is the #1 neglected factor in fat loss programs.
6. Eat 1.14g of protein per pound of lean body mass. If you don’t know your
lean body mass, then simply eat 1g of protein per pound of body weight. But
if possible, stick to the lean body mass recommendation, as that eliminates
excess fat mass when calculating protein needs.
7. Don’t drink alcohol. Alcohol intake can
quickly add hundreds of calories and alcohol prevents fat burning. Alcohol
intake can also reduce testosterone levels, a big no-no for men looking to
get lean.
8. Drink Green Tea and water. While I don’t believe that either of these
will increase your metabolism, I do believe that they help prevent decreases
in metabolism. Not too mention, these are your 2 healthiest beverage
options.
9. Stick to a consistent sleep schedule. Don’t stay up all night, and if
possible, avoid working afternoon and overnight shifts. If you must work
shiftwork, stick to the rest of these principles as strongly as possible.
10. Use the strength training with moderately heavy weights (that allow you
to complete 8 perfect reps per set) and interval training for the most
efficient and effective metabolism boosting workout.
If your metabolism has slowed down due to improper dieting or lifestyle,
then follow these tips to help you get back on track to lose fat and gain
muscle. Once you correct your metabolism, you will be on the road to losing
the fat for good. Just in time for summer.
About the author:
Craig Ballantyne is a Certified
Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health, Fitness,
Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His
trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured
multiple times in Men’s Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines and all over
the Internet, and have helped thousands of men and women around the world
lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per
week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will
help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment,
visit the Turbulence Training
homepage.
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