Our bodies are fearfully and wonderfully made. They are designed to care for us all the days of our lives. They have a built in immune system, a pump to keep blood and oxygen circulating through out and a filtering system to help guard us against the impurities of the world we live in. Throughout our bodies we also have billions of cells-nerve, muscle, blood, and fat-all created to care for us in one way or another. In a fit, well metabolized body cells burn energy as they go about their daily job of keeping us up and running by using the fat burning techniques already built into us.
Unused for immediate energy, calories are stored in fat cells (of which we have well over 30 billion). For the millions of people with low burning metabolisms (thwarted built in fat burning techniques) the fat cells created to keep us from starving actually work to become our worst enemies when unwise eating coupled with our lack of activity prevents them from being burned off.
The good news is, however, thwarted fat burning techniques can be reversed and the fire under the metabolism furnace can be relit. Several areas affect the metabolism-exercise, body temperature, the digestion of foods, and/or hormone activity but the two top points are important for openers.
1) The first point to consider when getting the body to restart its built in fat burning techniques and kick starting the metabolism furnace is the food you eat, the amount of food you eat and the time you eat the food.
**There are several foods that actually burn fat faster than others such as fruits (berries, melons, citrus, apples), vegetables (radishes, broccoli, carrots, peas, tomatoes, brussel sprouts, root crops, and members of the squash family), fish (salmon, tuna, flounder) & seafood (crab, lobster, shrimp), whole grains (rye & pumpernickel) and legumes (beans, lentils, soybeans). Spices (flaxseed, garlic, parsley, chilies) also work to burn fat. These foods work by triggering a thermodynamic reaction in the body that burns several hours after you have finished eating.
**Eat several meals a day-5-6 times at 3 hour intervals eating your largest meal before 3 in the afternoon. Try not to skip meals as eating actually initiates the body’s natural fat burning techniques.
**When you deny your body of food it goes into what is known as survival mode and begins storing fat as well as slowing down the metabolism to conserve energy. The point here is to eat scheduled meals in moderate amounts because too much food in the stomach will slow fat burning techniques as well.
2) The second point to consider is ways to increase your daily activity.
**Exercise is a great way to speed up the metabolism which burns fat and glucose. Though many people workout long and hard it is not necessary for this natural fat burning technique to be effective. A brisk walk several times a week is a great way to begin a new cardio routine. Increase this to 12 minutes of alternating walking and running every other day for fat burning efficiency. When you workout until you are breathing heavily, your body releases a hormone known as HGH which is a perfect example of a natural fat burner. Always workout on an empty stomach. Do not eat for a couple of hours after workout to ensure HGHs maximum release.
**Couple your cardio workout with some stretches, bends and/or weight lifting before and after (along with some exercises targeted to specific problem areas) being diligent to change your order of things from day to day. Your body gets used to things and it becomes a routine rather than a workout if you do not.
**Your final exercise point is to breath correctly-through your nose and out your mouth. This help keep heart rate stable so that you can push yourself for endurance.