Metabolism: what you need to know!
In a time where people are engrossed with having the ideal body and staying fit, attention is seldom directed to our body’s functioning. Just like in our previous blog, where we discussed how detoxification is an internal process that our body carries out daily and needs to be facilitated through a combination of healthy diet rituals and supplementation, this blog discusses another bodily process: metabolism.
Frequently Asked Questions
Metabolism provides our body with the energy to function. Once our body breaks down the essential nutrients from the food we consume through digestion, metabolism then sets about putting these nutrients to use. If a car needs an engine to function, the human body also needs metabolism to function as a fundamental process.
Without going all science-y and complicated, carbohydrates and other nutrients are extracted from the calories we consume and then merged with oxygen to generate a chemical reaction that produces energy. This energy is then used by our body for carrying out everything you can think of, including thinking (ironically).
Before we go on talking about whether metabolism can be improved or not, we need to understand why it needs to happen in the first place. Again, similar to detoxification, the rate at which our body can metabolise varies per the diet we consume, the nutritional makeup of our diets, and the amount of muscle mass we have. How is all this measured though? Through a metric called Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR).
BMR indicates the amount of energy our body consumes while at rest. Rest in this case means when our digestive system is inactive i.e., while we are sleeping. A high BMR indicates that our body is burning more energy despite being idle. Individuals with a disciplined diet and fitness regiment are often beneficiaries of a high BMR, as their body is almost always engaged in burning energy. Physical exercise develops lean muscle mass. This added muscle mass requires more calories to continue functioning while your body is at rest. The more you expend energy in fitness activities, the more food you need to refuel, and the higher your metabolism.
A low BMR means that your body is not getting enough energy to power itself. This lack of energy is mainly due to consuming “empty calorie” foods, which contain unnecessary calories that cannot be utilised by our body for energy production and end up contributing to excess fat and weight. Prime examples: junk food and sugary drinks. In addition, not engaging ourselves in frequent physical activities, not getting enough sleep, and from a dietary perspective, not getting enough protein, all combine to form a recipe for disaster. Unfortunately, this recipe is the most prominent lifestyle that most working individuals live.
The answer to this is self-explanatory. Since our metabolism varies with our diet and physical routine, we are capable of improving our metabolism. But this improvement is gradual and not instantaneous. Crash diets that turn our routines and daily food consumption upside down do help in improving our metabolism, but what they fail to envision and cater to is sustaining this improved metabolism. Commonly, once we’ve abandoned a crash diet and return to our basic diet (which may or may not be balanced and healthy), our metabolism also returns to normal. This leads to your body losing all the “progress” it made so quickly.
So, to improve your metabolism sustainably, you must ensure that your diet is not a small break from what it used to be but entirely revamped permanently. This revamp also needs to be complemented by timely and regular sleep, and physical exercise. For an added helping hand, supplementation facilitates this improvement journey too.
The Swisse Ultiboost Metabolism+ tablets are a multi-purpose supplement for better metabolism, as well as detoxification and digestion. The supplement contains Chromium and Gurmar. This ayurvedic-mineral combination works towards improved energy levels and immunity.
The Swisse Ultiboost Co-enzyme Q10 (CoQ10) supplement contains the uniquely formulated CoQ10 enzyme, which is highly complementary to cellular energy production, apart from being supportive of the anti-oxidant activity of our heart.