Weight management is important to enhance overall wellness and lower the risk for many chronic diseases. Our metabolism is one factor that can affect weight loss or weight gain. The good news is there are a few ways you can boost your metabolism to help manage or maintain your weight. 

We will discuss metabolism and explain the ways to rev it up for good health. We will also provide reasons to motivate you to get mindful of your metabolism, including how your weight affects your life insurance.

Weight and Life Insurance

Life insurance is a must for any adult to help protect your family in case of a loss. It will help protect your family’s finances by providing support to cover any final expenses. 

Different companies have different ways of calculating risks. For example, Globe life insurance rates are based on your health status, lifestyle, age, gender, and occupation. Managing your weight is important to get the most affordable life insurance coverage.

Your weight is one factor that can affect life insurance rates. You can still get life insurance even if you are overweight or obese. A life insurance weight chart can help you understand the connection between weight and life insurance. 

Other factors that influence life insurance rates include health complications, age, gender, and build. Make sure you compare rates online or consult with an insurance agent to find the right coverage and rates for your personal situation. 

What is Metabolism?

Basal metabolic rate is the actual name for what we typically call metabolism. It is also sometimes called resting metabolic rate. Your body is constantly burning energy in the form of calories to keep up with body processes. 

Your metabolism is the amount of energy, or calories, that your body needs to expend just to keep you alive. These are the calories burned for your body to maintain homeostasis and keep your heart beating, your blood pumping, and your lungs breathing. 

Your basal metabolic rate is the largest portion of your caloric or energy expenditure. It is about 50% to 70% of your daily caloric expenditure. The other two components are physical activity and the thermic effect of food. 

Your basal metabolism is based on your gender, height, weight, age, and other factors. Genetics, ethnicity, and race also play a role. There are calculators online that use your personal information to determine your basal metabolic rate. 

Boosting Your Metabolism

Some of the above factors are things we don’t have any control over. Many of these factors can cause a slower metabolism. For example, your metabolism slows as you get older. 

However, there are a few factors that you have control over that can influence your basal metabolic rate. The biggest one is lean muscle tissue in the body. The amount of muscle tissue you have can increase your basal metabolic rate. 

Muscle tissue needs more energy and is more metabolically active than fat tissue. Women typically have a slower metabolism than men. This is because men naturally have more muscle mass due to higher testosterone levels. 

Caffeine can also slightly increase your basal metabolic rate. It’s not enough to usually notice any difference, but it does cause a slight increase. Many weight loss supplements have caffeine in high doses and as an active ingredient. 

Protein is one nutrient that can slightly affect your metabolism. It takes more calories to digest and absorb protein foods, so these foods can boost your metabolism. Spicy foods like Indian curry also have a similar effect on metabolism. 

Drugs can also increase your basal metabolic rate. The effect is also slight, like caffeine. The cons of drug use far outweigh any slight metabolic boost. 

The Influence of Physical Activity on Metabolism

Physical activity is one way to increase the number of calories that we burn on a daily basis. The more active you are, the more calories you burn.

Some types of intense physical activity like interval training can also burn calories hours after you finish. The body has to return to a resting state as well as recover and repair, which requires calories to do these things as you rest. 

Weight training, strength training, or resistance training can increase the amount of muscle mass you have, which burns more calories even at rest. 

Keep in mind that It’s a common fitness myth that aerobic exercise is more effective than strength training for weight management. 

Keep Your Metabolism Burning

Eating regular meals, drinking plenty of water, getting enough sleep, and eating enough calories daily also help keep your metabolism burning at a steady pace. 

The best ways to boost your metabolism, help manage your weight, and keep you healthy are staying physically active, adding muscle mass by doing strength training exercises, and eating a healthy diet.

Melissa

Melissa Morris writes and researches for the insurance comparison site, ExpertInsuranceReviews.com. She is a university professor of nutrition and a certified sports nutritionist.