Metabolism is the name for the process in which our bodies combine oxygen with nutrients for the production of energy needed by the body to ensure the maintenance of normal bodily functions. Calories are basically the unit of measurement for this energy, and are regarded as fuel to our bodies. Glucose is our main energy source and when depleted, the metabolism process uses body fat or fat stores instead as its primary energy source. Similarly when your blood sugar levels or glucose is too high, your body converts it into body fat in order to store the excess energy. This is what causes an increase in body weight.
There are a number of factors that determine your body's metabolism rate, like sex, age, weight, activity level, the amount and proportion of muscle tissue, and your current physical condition. RMR or Resting Metabolic Rate is a term used to denote the calories that would be burnt if you remained in a state of inactivity for twenty four hours. This figure is basically the minimum amount of energy needed for your body to carry on its vital functions normally.
Boosting your metabolism can help reduce weight and improve your health as it burns up excess fat. There are some effective measures that you can follow to boost or speed up your body's metabolism. It is important that you eat your meals at regular timings and do not try to cut down on the food your need or skip meals as this will instead slow down your metabolism putting it into starvation mode. Try to eat three healthy meals every day, with at least two snacks. Make sure that your diet contains a lot of vegetables and fruits. Exercising is also important as it increases the lean muscle mass helping speed up metabolism. Strength training exercises would be particularly useful.
answered by M W