Metabolism

Metabolism is all chemical and  physical processes occurring in the body that convert or use energy. In other words, metabolism is the process by which our bodies converts what we eat and drink into energy.

When we are talking about weight loss and metabolism we are usually talking about the Basal Metabolic Rate, or BMR.  Our bodies need to perform many metabolic tasks everyday just to stay alive. Building and repairing cells, controlling body temperature, the circulation of blood, the production and releasing hormones, and just making sure all our body's systems are functioning, are all metabolic tasks which burn energy. These things are going on all the time and account for much of our body's daily energy consumption.

According to the Mayo Clinic, the BMR stays fairly constant for most people, and can be responsible for up to three-fourths of daily calorie consumption. Not everyone's BMR is the same. Man normally have much higher BMR's than women and people with large muscle mass have significant higher BMRs than people with little muscles. We have have higher BMRs in our youth and it decreases as we age. If you have a higher BMR you will burn more calories in the course of a day than someone with a lower BMR.

Raising Your BMR - Accelerating your Metabolism

Can you increase your BMR? While each person's BMR is fairly stable, there are ways to change the rate at which your body burns calories for energy. The BMR is a normal body function and your body will try to adjust it as it is needed. This is one reason why starvation diets don't work. Your body sees it as starvation and slows down metabolism to conserve calories. If your metabolism is liken to the fuel mileage of your car then a starvation diet is like making your body fifty mile per gallon compact. What you want to do is make your body a five mile per gallon SUV.

There are a number of substances which have been shown to help raise your BMR. These metabolism enhancers include, Acai Berry Select, African Mango, Caralluma Actives, Goji Berry Advance, Hoodia Balance, Xenadrine. These supplements contain substances such as prickly pear, brown algae, capsicum, hoodia, Phentermine, resveratrol, acai berries and caffeine that have been shown to increase the amount of calories your body burns.

In additional to taking a metabolism enhancer you should get as much exercise as possible, not starve yourself, and lift weights or other strength building exercise to build muscles.

If you work at it you should be able to increase or at least not decrease your metabolism as part of a smart weight loss/control program.