Burn it!

BY Ruwandi Perera

The holiday season is approaching, and that means more indulging and less working out! So stay ahead and avoid losing the good work you’ve been putting in this year. Build up your metabolism to make sure your body is well oiled to burn fat efficiently – whether you are working out or not.

Metabolism is a natural process through which our bodies produce the energy that’s necessary to help our organs function optimally… and enable us to stay healthy.

This biochemical procedure is quite a tricky thing actually, because some have it better than others. And its workings can be affected by your genes, gender, age and other factors such as stress.

Not fair? Yes, sadly so.

But you can always improve your natural metabolic rate and unconsciously compromise it with unhealthy habits.

Working out consistently and regularly is a good practice to get those machines inside you working so that even when you are not exercising, your body won’t stop burning fat.

In addition to physical drills, eating well is also key to keeping your metabolic levels up. Cutting carbs out of your diet doesn’t help and starving causes more harm than good.

Consume a healthy amount of calories depending on your overall body mass index (BMI) and make sure you add a decent share of proteins to your diet. Getting sufficient sleep helps you stay energised and in fat burning mode throughout the day. Try and maintain a sleep schedule so that your body doesn’t have to keep guessing.

BOOST UP

• MIX IT UP Keep switching back and forth in-between exercises, mixing high and low intensity movements – you can try it with any type of cardio.
• WEIGHTS Working out with weights at least twice a week and doing 12-15 repetitions on abs, biceps and quads helps strengthen your muscles, and burns more calories.
• FIRE FEET Keep your feet apart wider than your shoulders, slightly bend your knees and then run in place on the balls of your feet imagining you are on a hot floor – throw in a jump squat every 15 seconds.
• SWIMMING This ‘no impact exercise’ is ideal for burning a lot of calories in a short time.
• KEEP MOVING Try and keep moving throughout the day – squeeze in walking breaks every hour, use the stairs and try to do two sets of 20 jumping jacks daily.