GIRL'S TIP: Speed It Up!

You want to lose some weight but you have a slow metabolism so there is no hope. The good news is this is not the case. Being overweight does not cause you to have a slow metabolism, in fact the opposite is true. In this month's Girl's Tip you'll learn all about metabolism - what it is, how it works and what factors influence it.

Most of you probably have an idea of what 'metabolism' is, but may find difficult to clearly define. Metabolism is a combination of chemical reactions that occur in the cells of the body to convert fuel in the food we eat into the energy needed to power everything we do, from moving, to thinking, to growing. Metabolism is a constant process that begins when we are conceived and ends when we die. The amount of kilojoules (kJ) your body burns at any given time is regulated by your metabolism. You can't control your metabolism, but you can make it work for you when you exercise.

There are two complementary parts of metabolism; catabolism and anabolism.

• Catabolism is the breakdown of food components (such as carbohydrates, proteins and fats_ into their simpler forms, which can then be used to create energy. This immediate for of energy can be converted into heat or burned by cells.
• Anabolism is when the energy is either stored in fat cells or used to help build and repair structures of the body

Your body's metabolic rate, or total energy expenditure, is made up of three components:

• Basal metabolic rate (BMR) - amount of kilojoules burned at rest i.e. the amount of energy needed for the body to maintain itself. This contributes 50-80% of daily energy use.
• Thermic effect of food - energy used to digest and absorb your food. This accounts for about 5-10% of your daily energy use.
• Energy used during physical activity - the amount of kilojoules used during physical movement of exercise. This contributes about 20 per cent of daily energy use in a normally active person.

Everyone's metabolism is different and the things that influence our metabolism include:

• Body size - The bigger you are, the higher your metabolic rate will be; you need more energy for everyday activities and also use more energy when you are active.
• Age - In children, extra energy is used for growth. As we age, our metabolism slows due to the loss of muscle tissue, hormonal and neurological changes.
• Gender - men have a faster metabolism than females because they tend to have more muscle and less fat, and be larger in size.
• Lean muscle mass - the more muscle you have the higher your metabolism is. Fat has a lower metabolic rate than muscle and organs. So leaner people have a higher metabolic rate than fatter people of the same weight.
• Physical activity - the activity you do and the more strenuous it is, the more energy you use.
• Environmental temperature - air temperature, clothing and shelter affect your metabolic rate. If you're cold your metabolism increases when you shiver to generate heat to warm you, When it's hot you use energy to perspire.

Fortunately we can change our metabolism, so you are suffering from a slow metabolism you can speed it up. Follows this few tips to help increase you metabolism and assist with weight loss.

• Don't skip meals - skipping meals slows down your metabolism, so by including at least three meals a day you will help to maintain and possibly increase you metabolism.
• Eat more frequently - eat smaller, and more frequent meals, but remember to keep you snacks less than 600kJ and make your meals a little bit smaller.
• Get active - the more exercise you do, the more muscle you will gain and the higher your metabolism will be.
• Include caffeine - caffeine is a metabolic stimulant, so 2-3 cups of coffee or another caffeine containing drink each day could do you more good than you may realise. Just limit the amount of sugar you have in your coffee.