Boosting the Metabolic Rate

Some exercises can increase the metabolism for up to 15 hours after the workout. This normally happens when the intensity of the exercise is high, such as for many anaerobic exercises. It accelerates the metabolism because the muscles need to recover from the stress. Intense mechanical stress brakes down some of the structural elements within the protein filaments of the muscle cells, and it also degrades the chains of stored glycogen (carbs in muscles).

Repairing these elements requires the body to send more protein and nutrients to these exhausted muscles so they can restore the muscle back to their pre-workout state. The process to restore muscle elements (usually referred to as Anabolism) creates a greater need for energy, thus the metabolism is speeded up until the muscle cells are restored back to normal. As the oxygen consumption is back to normal, most of the extra energy can be supplied through excess fat stores.

For this reason, it is important to exercise regularly in order to lose weight faster than just dieting alone. However, the most important secret is to exercise early in the morning so your metabolism is elevated for the day ahead. This means your body can be in a fat burning mode for longer periods so you get the most out of every workout you do. Meaning you can exercise less for greater results than those who exercise mid to later in the day and then ruin it by resting at a time when they could be making the most of an increase in metabolism.