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Awakening Metabolism

 

A Natural Rhythm Affects Metabolism

During winter, the sun is closest to the horizon; during summer, the sun is more directly overhead.   This natural rhythm, the movement of the sun along its predictable arc, provides a signal, every fall, for plants to lose their leaves and mammals to sleep. And, in the spring, the sun’s movement up from the horizon provides the signal for plants to produce buds and mammals to wake from their winter slumber.

 

It is winter in the Northern Hemisphere.  Every mammal is either hibernating to avoid the cold and dealing with limited food supply or “holed up” living in a den eating the food that it was able to store away during the summer; protected by a layer of fat that insulates their body from the inclement weather as well as acting as a backup source of energy in case there is no food.

 

Whether the mammals are hibernating or “holed up”, their basal metabolic rate is at its lowest point during winter.  It will remain there until spring, when food becomes more abundant and the climate more hospitable.  With the arrival of the buds on plants, the hibernating mammals will wake up; the other mammals will increase their activity.  Basal Metabolic Rate changes from low to high to support the higher level of activity.

 

Humans are mammals first and foremost.  Even though we live with central heat, abundant food with winter clothes to protect us from the weather, our bodies react like the bodies of every other mammal – slow down BMR and build a layer of fat to protect the body from the elements and the possibility of starvation.  Even when you increase metabolic demand through exercise your body will follow this time-honored directive and in some cases, lower BMR even more!

 

What is Basal Metabolic Rate?

Basal Metabolic Rate contributes to the survival of mammals.  BMR is the minimum rate at which the body releases energy to support the functioning of the vital organs, such as the heart, lungs, brain and the rest of the nervous system, liver, kidneys, sex organs, muscles and skin.

 

BMR accounts for about 70% of a human’s total energy expenditure.  Physical activity accounts for approximately 20% of the energy expenditure, creating body heat and the digestion of food accounts for the final 10%.

 

Don’t Fight the Natural Rhythm

One of the most unlikely New Year’s resolutions is to lose weight.  When you increase physical activity or eat fewer calories during winter, the directive for survival will impede the expenditure of energy to protect the body thereby reducing BMR even further.  The net effect is slower metabolism with little or no benefit from the reduced calorie diet or exercise.

 

The Answer to the Weight Loss Dilemma is in the Sky

As surely as the plants receive the signal to bud as the sun moves up from the horizon, your metabolism will receive the signal to awaken from its winter rest.  You can expect to lose the few pounds that you added.

 

If you need to address more than a few pounds there are steps you can take to reset your metabolic rate.

1. Reduce appetite to lower food consumption and caloric intake.
2. Increase energy expenditure by adding moderate exercise to boost metabolism.
3. Activate brown adipose tissue (brown fat), which burns white fat and
4. Regulate production of the fat producing hormones (that stores fat around our hips, thighs and waistline), address insulin resistance and support healthy blood sugar levels with a more balanced diet and avoiding sugar-containing food and sweet fruit.

Many people find that dietary supplements are helpful.  Well-crafted supplements can regulate day and nighttime metabolism helping you support weight loss and a toned, firm body.  Used in conjunction with a minor change in the choice of food and moderate exercise, most people find that they can avoid larger than expected weight gain during the winter months.  People, who are committed to promoting weight loss, find that this same approach will be helpful in achieving their weight loss objectives.

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