Revving Up The Metabolism

Revving Up The Metabolism


A problem I hear time and time again from people of all ages and all sizes is that they're too fat. The solution these people often times hear is to eat healthier, eat less, and/or exercise more. The way I look at it is the metabolism is under-performing and simply needs a push. Exercise is also important, but how can you exercise when you don't have any energy to do so? Exactly. I've had periods where I just can't do anything, I would just sit around and waste away instead of improving myself. After some time I decided that I had had enough of doing nothing during those periods and looked to my past experience, others experiences, and medical science. What I discovered were several ways to increase energy, which in turn increased activity, which in turn increased metabolism.

1) Eat Healthy

Sorry to bug you with this one, but it is perhaps the most important of all of these tips and tricks. Eating healthy allows one to maximize nutrition while at the same time minimizing empty calories devoid of any nutritional value. You should always look at the nutritional value of what you eat first, then the calories. Eating more fruits and vegetables is a surefire way to increase your nutritional stores which will in turn help to rev the metabolism up. If you are eating healthy foods then you should eat as much as you want. This will help burn the fat and feed your muscles(and body!) with energy.

Examples of healthy food along with the primary nutrients for which they could be used for are as follows:

1. Chia
   Should be a food staple, eat 1 oz a day to help curb overeating, provide dietary fiber, increase nutrient absorption, and blunt rises in blood glucose.
   Note: Unlike flaxseed chia is not estrogenic.
   Primary nutrients(1 oz): Manganese(30%), Phosphorous(27%), Calcium(18%), and Omega-3(4.9g)
   Price range: $8-$15/lb
2. Kale 
   Cheap, eat a cup every week, aids detoxification.
   Primary nutrients(1 cup): Vitamin K(1,327%), Vitamin A(354%)
   Price Range: $2-$3/lb
3. Brown Rice
   Cheap, should be eating at least a cup every other day, soak/ferment overnight to reduce phytates(will elaborate if needed), provide dietary fiber, lower cholesterol, boosts energy, and is very filling per its cost
   Primary nutrients(1 cup):Manganese(88%), Selenium(27%), Magnesium(21%)
   Price Range: $1-$2/lb
   http://www.instructables.com/id/HOWTO-make-GBR-germinated-or-sprouted-brown-rice/
4. Liver
   Cheap, packed with enough vitamin A per lb for almost a whole month, spread out several small servings, eat with fatty foods and oils, healthy ones at least, to aid absorption of vitamins, lots of protein, lots of B vitamins
   Primary nutrients(1 lb):Vitamin B12(6,285%), Copper(3305%), Vitamin A(2,365%) Vitamin B2(907%), Vitamin B3(388%), Protein(243%- 119 g)
   Note: I can go through about a lb of liver per meal, most people will go through 1/4 lb or less and heavy eaters can go through a 1/2 lb. Don't eat too much, vitamin A can be toxic when an excess of liver is eaten, even though it goes away exceeedingly fast. Mind yourself.
   Price Range: $2-$3/lb
5. Eggs
   Cheap, easily available, highly bioavailable protein in a natural form, easy to cook, protein helps to keep you full(mixed with chia you stay full), easy to hard boil then keep in fridge as a snack for days, cholesterol helps to lower LDL and raise HDL
   Primary nutrients(1 egg, large): Selenium(22%), Vitamin B2(15%), Vitamin B12(9%), Phosphorous(9%), Vitamin B5(7%)
   Price range: $1-$3/12 eggs(shop around, I can get eggs for $0.79 at a local supermarket that skips middlemen)

There you go, this list is not comprehensive at all, hell, it just goes over cheap foods that are incredibly healthy for you. And that's all you should need, a whole lotta cheap, healthy foods that will keep you going without burning through your wallet.

2.) Ice baths

Yes, submerging yourself in an ice bath will help to boost metabolism. How do you ask? By inducing shivering as a byproduct of the body's compensation for a drastically lowering temperature. Initially you will shiver, then you will be very tense and locked up, finally your body will understand the mechanism of how to stay warm and your muscles will develop large amounts of tension whilst you sit there, relaxed. At the final stages the ice baths will actually begin to be enjoyable, due to the fact that the overloading of tension for the 30-60 minutes you are in the bath leads to a lowering of resting tension in the muscles(the bad kind), and puts you more at ease. 

For those looking for a less extreme method, try lowering your shower water in heat a little bit every day. Soon you will be taking cold showers and this too has the benefits of ice baths and are more easily maintained. 

For those looking for more methods, try wearing less clothes during the winter(don't be stupid) and notice how the same development of large amounts of tension warm the body in the same manner(minus the thermal conductivity of water :P). 

An additional method I learned from the 4 hr body(Ferriss may be of questionable character, but his methods in large part do work to some extent), is to place ice packs on the trapezius muscles to induce burning of brown adipose tissue(fat burning fat). Leave on for a half hr or six while watching an episode of your favorite show or Batman.

Tip: Try some Cayenne, Ginseng, and Green Tea before the icing, all will raise body heat, metabolism, and promote the body's fat burning mechanisms.


3.) Ice water

Before water can be absorbed by the body it must first be either cooled or warmed up to the temperature of the body, giving some credence to some forms of traditional method calling to avoid either hot or cold fluids and foods at certain times. Ice water helps to burn calories, but that's not the point. Ice water helps to give the metabolism a boost.
Note: Ice water is good for metabolism boosting, room temperature water is good for rapid assimilation of water. One can only drink so much ice water, while room temperature water can be drunk in greater amounts.


4.) Muscle

Putting some muscle on can increase resting metabolic rate, meaning that at rest you will burn more calories, and thus have more energy. This is the main reason for the exercise paradox: How will working my body to a lower amount of energy allow myself to have more energy after recovering? Also, adaptability, if we were machines then we'd just wear down. 

5.) Herbs

Many herbs are energy boosters(generic term for anything that helps to boost energy, far too broad and will not be included), stimulants(direct boost to energy, long term use not recommended), tonics(beneficial to different systems of the body to allow better functioning of said systems), or adaptogens(adapts body to stress, allows more efficient use of energy). As always, do your research(especially on dangers) before taking anything, and go to your doctor as well.

Stimulants: Bitter orange(alternative to Ephedra, which is outlawed),Ephedra(Ma Huang), Guarana, Kola Nut, Rooibos(good for long term, no caffeine) Tea, Yerba Mate, Yohimbe

Tonics(liver): Artichoke, Astragalus, Citrus fruits, Dandelion, Fennel, Goji Berry(Wolfberry ^_^), Guduchi, Gynostemma, Licorice, Milk Thistle(Super booster, highly recommended, look for silymarin), Picrorhiza, Reishi, Schizandra, Turmeric(bioperine would help in absorption of this and everything else, however no long term studies have been done)

Side note: The liver is the best liver burner in the body and regulates fat metabolism through many different biochemical pathways. Thus, tonics which give a "boost" to the liver and aid its job in cleansing the blood. Less fat means less toxins and thus more energy, as does "clean" blood.

Adaptogens: American Ginseng(Panax Quinquefolius), Amla, Ashwagandha, Ashitaba Asian Ginseng(Panax Ginseng), Astragalus, Chaga Mushroom, Cinnamon Rose, Dang Shen(Codonopsis), Eleuthero, Gotu Kola, Guduchi, He Shou Wu(Fo Ti), Holy Basil, Jiaogulan, Licorice, Lycium, Maca, Manchurian Thorn Tree, Prince Seng, Reishi, Rhapontiocum, Rhodiola, Schisandra, Shatavari, Shilajit(Essential)

Side Note: The herbs are synergistic, working with each other, meaning only small amounts of each are needed, anything in excess can be a poison. I take a mix of many of these and take one day off every week. On that day I fast and stretch and massage my body to get all the crap out. I also take a 3-7 day fast every couple of months as well. The point is to assist the process that the adaptogens are helping to induce.

There you have it, 5 very basic methods of revving up your metabolism. I plan on expanding this post a great deal, however, given my current time restraints it will have to be put off for a bit. I need to churn out some small posts and then work on them as time goes on to flesh them out as much as I can.

With that being said, thank you for reading.

Disclaimer: All material on this website is provided for your information only and should not be taken as medical advice or instruction. No action or inaction should be taken based on the contents of this information; one should consult appropriate health professionals on any matter related to their health  It is not intended to be a substitute for informed medical advice or care. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat any health problems or illnesses without consulting your \doctor. Please consult a doctor with any questions or concerns you might have regarding your condition.