By now, just about everybody should know that if you exercise aerobically (run, walk, cycle, etc) your heart rate goes up and your body burns more calories. It’s just common sense. However, that’s not the whole story.
Tweak This
One way to give your metabolism a jolt upwards is by interval training. Of course, you should check with your doctor before beginning any exercise program. If she says jogging is fine, go for it, but start slowly. Walk briskly for a few minutes then jog for a few seconds. There are websites that have interval training resources for runners. Check out the Couch to 5K Running Plan at www.coolrunning.com. You can even download pod casts that match the program from this website: http://www.ullreys.com/robert/Podcasts/page4/page4.html
What Happens During Interval Training
Your body is always trying to be more efficient. It will get used to a certain level of activity and chug along just fine. For example, if you are walking at a good clip, say 3.5-4 miles an hour, your body will get used to providing the energy you need to accomplish this. Then, if you start jogging or out right sprinting for 30-45 seconds at intervals, your body will quickly adjust and pull energy from any available cell (and the easiest targets are fat cells) to provide that energy.
Short intervals are better. Thirty to sixty second bursts are fine. Some experts suggest using interval training for 30-40 minute training periods. Of course, it all depends on your personal fitness level and overall health.
Build Those Muscles
A lot of people, particularly women, don’t or won’t use weight training because they’re afraid of getting “those bulky muscles” like the ones they see on female body builders. Get real. You’d have to spend eight to ten hours a day in a gym and take all kinds of supplements to look like that.
The main benefit to weight training is building muscle and when it’s done in addition to aerobic or interval training, it will boost your metabolism. Why? Because muscle tissue takes more energy (calories) to maintain. Yes, that’s right. A pound of muscle burns more calories than a pound of fat. Muscles have physical work to do. They move your limbs and help with balance and even hold you upright. Fat tissue, on the other hand is just a static storage unit. That’s one reason the body will use energy from fat cells before anything else. If you have more muscle tissue your body will burn more calories. You don’t even have to do anything. It will even burn calories while you sleep! It’s like putting your metabolism on auto-pilot.
Use Both
Talk to your doctor and get started on a program of cardiovascular/aerobic exercise. Get moving. That’s what your body was designed to do. Add some weight training two to three times a week. You don’t have to join a gym. Get an exercise ball and some inexpensive hand weights. Target large muscle groups to start with, like legs, abdominals and back. There is more surface area in these groups and you’ll build muscle faster.
Once you get started, your metabolism won’t have anywhere to go but up!
http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=1141922