The key to lasting weight loss is mastering your metabolism. You have to keep your internal engine speeding along. Just as your size shrinks after dropping the unwanted pounds, so does your ability to burn calories.
In a study at the University of Melbourne, levels of ghrelin, the hunger hormone, were 20% higher in participants who lost weight, while levels of hormones associated with suppressing hunger were very low. Our physiology is designed to preserve fat. After we lose pounds, changes occur in our endocrine, nervous and muscular systems to make us burn fewer calories for the same amount of effort while our brains are telling us to eat more. BUT, by starting a few new habits, you can REIGNITE YOUR METABOLISM!
- Get on your feet – standing, stretching and walking throughout the day is crucial to keeping your system revved, according to researchers at the Mayo Clinic. Every time you get up, your muscles activate and within 90 seconds your cellular engines turn on. Remind yourself to walk around for 10 minutes every hour.
- Exercise less but harder – amp up your workouts with high-intensity interval training. A study in the Journal of Applied Physiology showed that women who performed high-intensity intervals on a stationary bike every other day for two weeks burned 36 percent more fat afterward than they did during a steady cycling workout. ****InCycle classes ALWAYS incorporate bursts of high intentsity!!! Add a HIIT, Clocked +pump15 or The Works class to your schedule!
- Time your coffee – downing caffeine an hour before your workout will help you burn 15 percent more calories afterward, according to a study in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition.
- Get your protein/carbs post workout – within one hour of working out make sure to get both protein and carbs (3x the carbs as protein) to ensure that metabolism is burning at high efficiency.