HOW TO RAMP UP YOUR METABOLISM THIS SUMMER

Part Three: Building More Mitochondria

article by SHANNON DAHLUM | photos by JAMIE DAHLUM

We’re nearing the end of summer unfortunately, but that also means we’re two months into our metabolism boosting program. By working on the quality of your sleep and nutrition the past two months, you’ve been enhancing the health of your mitochondria, the powerhouses in your cells that convert nutrients into chemical energy. Healthy mitochondria means that nutrients (including stored body fat) are more efficiently turned into fuel for your body to burn. The rate at which your mitochondria can create fuel is exactly what metabolism is. More efficient mitochondria means a more efficient energy turn over and hence, a faster metabolism.

There are two ways to increase your metabolism; optimizing the health of the mitochondria you already have, and building more mitochondria. You’ve already been enhancing the health of the mitochondria you have through sleep and nutrition, so now, you’re going to learn how to build more mitochondria through movement. More mitochondria means that more nutrients and body fat can be converted into fuel.

When you think of exercise for fat loss, you probably think “cardio.” You know that to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume, so your exercise consists of whatever burns the most calories, right? If you get on the elliptical machine for thirty minutes and it says you burned 200 calories, then you can assume you just burned off that 200 calorie cookie from last night. One problem with this approach is that calorie counting is extremely inaccurate. A second problem is that the more frequently you do your steady state cardio (more than twenty minutes at a steady pace), the more efficient your body becomes at it and the less you actually burn over time.

Your mitochondria reside inside most cells; some cells have several thousand mitochondria while others may not have any. The number of mitochondria present in a cell depends on how much energy that cell needs. For example, muscles expend a lot of energy, so they have a high concentration of mitochondria. On the other hand, neurons don’t require as much energy to function, so they have a much lower concentration of mitochondria. Since muscle cells have such a high concentration of mitochondria, the most effective way to increase your metabolism and ability to lose excess fat is not to burn as many calories you can in a workout, but to work on building more muscle.

Your body adapts to everything you do on a consistent basis. In terms of muscle tissue and mitochondria, you build what you need and lose what you don’t use. Your muscles can adapt to increasing demands not only by growing bigger (creating new muscle fibers), but also by creating more mitochondria within the muscle cells that are already there. Once your muscles have adapted to a training program (which takes around 6-12 weeks), no more progress will be made, so you need to change the program. The only way to continue growing and changing is to continue changing how you grow. This is called periodization and it’s a vital part of keeping your metabolism healthy and optimized.

A well rounded workout program to optimize your metabolism will work not only all the muscles of your body (including your heart), but all the fibers within those muscles, too. There are two main fiber types; slow twitch, which are responsible for endurance work, and fast twitch, responsible for maximal strength. To increase the amount of muscle mass and mitochondria you have, you need to work both types of fibers. This means you need to spend some time lifting heavy weights for a low number of repetitions, moderate weights for a moderate number of reps, and light weights for a high number of reps. Keep in mind that if you’re new to training, your own bodyweight may be all the resistance you need. For your heart, be sure to get a variety of cardio that will get your heart rate up near your max for short bursts of time, and at other times raise it slightly for much longer periods of time.

For the general population, the most effective resistance training programs include workouts that work the whole body three to five times per week. To be sure your entire body is being trained, simply include an upper body pulling movement (like pull-ups or bent over rows), an upper body pushing movement (pushups or military press), a squat variation (squats or lunges), and a hip hinging exercise (deadlifts or hip thrusts). For your heart, add in high intensity cardio intervals 1-2 times per week. These can be all-out bursts of running, biking, swimming, etc, from 20 seconds to 5 minutes, followed by a brief recovery, and repeated for several sets. In addition, get slow but regular movement in daily (like walking).

If you’re new to resistance training, seek out a qualified personal trainer to help you set up a program that’s appropriate for you and teach you proper technique. In the mean time, here’s a basic program you can use to get you started. Be sure to change it up after 6-12 weeks.

Resistance training, 3 times per week
Perform 3-4 sets, 8-12 repetitions of each:
Body rows
Pushups
Lunges (per leg)
Kettlebell Swings
Rest 1-2 minutes between sets

High Intensity cardio, 2 times per week
Perform 4-8 sets:
20 seconds of sprinting
10 seconds of walking recovery between sets

Slow movement daily
Walk as much as you can each day. A ten minute walk after each meal has the added benefit of enhancing digestion and decreasing insulin.

Adding a regular movement routine like this to the nutrition and sleep tips you learned in parts one and two of this series will keep your metabolism going strong! With plenty of healthy mitochondria converting your food and body fat into fuel, you’ll be able to maintain a healthy body weight without starving yourself and enduring hours of cardio.

While learning to implement these new habits, it’s incredibly helpful to have a support system. Seek out like minded friends to train with and try new, healthy foods together. The health and fitness opportunities in Monroe continue growing and there are plenty of welcoming fitness communities you can get involved with. Ask around for recommendations and try a few places until you find one that’s a good fit for you.

If you have questions related to this topic, or questions about another wellness topic that you’d like to see covered in a future article of Bayou Life Magazine, please email me at [email protected] and put “Bayou Life” in the subject line. I’d love to help with your nutrition and fitness related challenges!