How do we increase metabolism without exercise?
by Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
The most profound question ever asked in the history of fitness.
Now, the equally elusive answer from our expert, Tom Venuto himself…
“Anyone who reads my newsletters and articles on a regular basis knows that my overall philosophy is that it's better to "burn" the fat with exercise than to "starve" the fat with restrictive diets. Given a choice, I'd rather see you eat a little more and exercise a little more.
Why? Because that gives you a double boost in metabolism. Decreasing calories decreases metabolism. Increasing exercise increases metabolism. Makes complete sense right?
However, I understand that some people at times have a variety of restrictions on the type, amount or intensity of exercise they can perform. If this is the case with you, there's no need to give up in frustration, it simply means that nutrition will be all the more important - especially awareness of caloric intake.
The most important thing - and this is what most people forget - is to reduce your caloric intake during periods where your activity level drops below it's normal level - whether this inactivity is forced (due to injury, etc) or voluntary (vacation, layoff for recuperation, etc)
It's all too easy to keep eating exactly the same, because your daily dietary habits become so habitual. However, when your activity drops suddenly and your food intake does not, you have an instantaneous calorie surplus.
Some people gain weight when they take time off from exercise, and they whine and lament saying, "It's impossible to reach my goal now because I can't exercise," or "what’s the use, I can't exercise, so I have to concede to gaining weight and getting out of shape."
In reality, the reason for the weight gain was that they didn't adjust their calories to match expenditure or maintain a deficit at the new, lower activity level. So many people are looking for some kind of fat loss "magic" that they totally forget about this simple calorie balance equation.
The good news is that metabolism can be raised or lowered with both nutrition and exercise, not just exercise.
Granted, weight training will increase lean body mass which will in turn increase basal metabolic rate. Intense cardio will increase metabolism temporarily after the training session as well. However, nutrition also plays a huge role in your metabolic speed and efficiency.
Beyond the simple calorie equation, one point to consider during periods of inactivity is carbohydrate intake. If you are going to reduce your calories to compensate for lower activity, some people will do well to remove a larger percentage of those calories from carbohydrates rather than equally from carbs, protein and fats.
High carb diets are conducive to high activity levels, but a high carb diet can sometimes make it more difficult for a sedentary person to lose body fat, especially if that person is carb intolerant and symptomatic of metabolic syndrome. You often hear about extremely obese individuals who are unable to do much exercise losing weight quite successfully on very low carb diets for this very reason.
Although I am very much in favour of a balanced approach to carbs, proteins and fats rather than skewing the nutrient ratios in one direction or the other, carb intake and your personal level of carb sensitivity should be taken into consideration.
There are many other ways you can increase metabolic rate through nutritional strategies.
My program Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle emphasizes the importance of strength training and cardio vascular exercise, but it has always been first and foremost a nutrition program designed specifically to increase metabolic efficiency through proper food choices, meal timing, meal frequency and proper portioning of nutrient ratios.
If you learn how to control these critical factors, along with your caloric intake, then YES, you can get results with minimal exercise (although I'll always keep preaching that it's better
WITH exercise).
If you don't have the e-book yet, you can grab a copy at:
Train hard and expect success all-ways,
Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
Certified Personal Trainer
Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist
Fat Loss & Bodybuilding Coach
http://www.burnthefat.com
About Tom Venuto
Tom Venuto is a lifetime natural bodybuilder, an NSCA-certified personal trainer, certified strength coach (CSCS), and author of hundreds of articles and been featured in IRONMAN, Natural Bodybuilding, Muscular Development, Exercise for Men and Men's Exercise.
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