This means you are burning fat when you are at work, chained to your computer, as well as when you re sweating in a strenuous aerobics class. Since a large amount of your daily caloric intake is required to maintain these normal body processes, a slight increase or decrease in your metabolic rate can have a significant impact on your weight. A 10 percent reduction in the resting metabolic rate equals a negative energy expenditure of over 50,000 calories per year. That translates into a weight gain of over 14 pounds. Of course, if you raise the resting metabolic rate 10 percent, you can lose 14 pounds a year simply eating, sleeping, breathing, etc.
Exercise is one option.
Exercising three days a week for one hour each session can raise the body s metabolism about 20 percent above normal for up to three hours. Scientists have discovered that a lack of a specific nutrient or an excess of another can reduce or accelerate the cell s metabolic rate. Food is your body s fuel. You can change your car s performance by adding higher octane fuel. The same is true with food.