Metabolism - friend or foe?

Natalie Hilton, a physical education teacher at Bahrain's St Christopher's School, has joined the GulfWeekly team with a mission to help our readers get fitter. As well as holding a physical education degree she has written a thesis about body image and was co-founder and co-editor of a university newsletter. The 36-year-old has also written health and fitness columns for Australian newspapers. There are many times when the human body lets us down and Mother Nature seems to be playing practical jokes on us.

At the sign of a new pimple, I ask myself: "If I have to have spots, why can't I get them on my feet where nobody can see them?"

And after lunchbreak I ponder: "Why did I have to burp in the staffroom (again!) right in front of my boss?"

And when it's time for my wax treatment I utter: "Why do I grow hair in these weird places that serve no purpose other than to embarrass me?"

Now consider your fast, or your slow, metabolic rate and how it might be working against you.

What do you see when you look in the mirror? For those of us having great difficulty either gaining muscle mass or losing weight, our unyielding metabolism is often the cause of our frustration or humiliation.

We might ask ourselves: "Do I have to put on my bathers/cocktail dress/pair of shorts this weekend for the fishing trip/dinner date/rugby game?", or, "Why can't I reach my fitness and health goals when I am doing everything I am supposed to?"

Let's first examine what metabolism means.

Metabolism refers to all the energy a person's body burns, or the combined sum of all biochemical reactions that occur in your body to sustain you.

About 20 per cent of all your calories from carbohydrates go directly to feed your brain. This is a function of your metabolism. While you are resting, amazing cell regeneration like bone and skin repair, are taking place.

This is a function of your metabolism too. Energy is also being used to nuture your immune system, feed your muscles, keep your heart pumping, get rid of waste, and the list goes on. These are all functions of your metabolism.

If your metabolism is fast there is bad and good news. A fast metabolism means your body will use up energy and resources to maintain itself faster than you can (often) provide them.

The good news is you will appear slim and have the luxury of eating whatever you want without reaping the consequences of carrying excess body fat.

The bad news is you run a risk of being malnourished if you do not meet your high nutritional demands. Further, you may be carrying fat on the inside of your body. Fat can sit in your arteries and cause enormous health problems.

Your muscles and bones may be weaker. I have heard instances where people with high metabolic rates report that their nails and hair seem to grow faster and they visit the toilet a lot to rid the body of enormous amounts of waste!

If your metabolism is slow there is bad news and bad news ... well, it would seem that way when you talk to a person with a slow metabolic rate!

No matter how they diet and exercise, they are still faced with excess weight and other health issues.

The causes of a slow metabolism can range from having an under-active thyroid gland and hormonal problems, to alcohol use and poor nutrition.

The good news is that you can speed your metabolic rate up to a degree by changing the things that you have control over like food and exercise.

The first rule is never to diet - yes, you read that right. By diet I mean starve your body of essential fats, quality protein and wholesome carbohydrates.

If your body suspects it is in 'starvation' mode, it will gear itself down to conserve energy stores.

There is just no way around it because your body is smarter than you think!

The actual act of eating burns calories too. Preparing food, chewing, and digesting all require quite a bit of fuel. A slow metabolism also responds very well to resistance training.

Big strong muscles and bones use up more energy than most other body tissue even when asleep, to maintain itself.

Whether you are male or female, you should aim to push heavy weights for the legs, back, chest and shoulders every second day. Please see a caring and qualified fitness instructor for guidance.

Other things you can do to speed up your metabolism include getting quality sleep; stimulate your energy systems by doing exercise you have never tried before every now and then (rock climbing anyone?); eating small meals, more often instead of two to three large meals; cut out all processed fats or high cholesterol foods; have regular massages and stretching sessions; get some sunlight most days of the week; consume tea and coffee and spicy foods (these all safely stimulate hormones that speed up the central nervous system and heart rate).

If that is out of the question, try aromatherapy like lemon, mint and basil.

Other ways that might help you are: consume seafood most days of the week because it is rich in iodine which is medicine for a slow thyroid gland; always keep warm (even in Summer!) because if the body perceives its temperature to be dropping even the slightest amount, it will slow metabolic rate dramatically; give up soft drinks and fruit juice and drink water - and when you have had enough, drink some more!

You might also consider some opportunities to burn extra calories too. Take the stairs instead of the elevator; get up to change the TV channel; walk to the shop instead of drive; do your own housework; play more often with your cat or dog or take the kids on a long bike ride.

Good luck everyone. Don't confuse a slow metabolism with good old fashioned laziness! Get to it. Be your own best friend!