Article  Factors That Have Huge Effect On Metabolism Metabolism is the sum of all physical and chemical processes by which a living substance is formed and maintained and by which energy is made available for use by the organism. In other words, it refers to the rate at which your body utilizes calories to meet energy demands. The number of calories we burn while our body is at rest is known as the Basal Metabolic Rate or BMR. As we age, the BMR rate falls down, thus, making it hard for the body to burn calories, this explains why we tend to have difficulty losing weight on our later age. There are so many factors that affect metabolism; some may have positive effects while others have negative effect. These factors tend to decrease or increase metabolic rate. How does exercise, stress, and sleep affect metabolism? Exercise, Stress And Lack Of Sleep Effects On Metabolism Exercise Exercise is one way of improving the BMR rate as well as health and fitness too. Exercise tends to increase BMR, therefore, making weight loss faster. Some exercises may cause the body to continuously burn calories at a higher rate even after the exercise is already finished. Studies show that low-intensity exercises increase fat oxidation by 40%. This may imply that walking is better than running; this type of exercises is more preferable rather than high-intensity exercises which do not actually affect fat oxidation. And in addition, low-intensity exercises cause lower possibility of musculoskeletal injuries. Stress Another thing that affects metabolism is stress; it has either the negative and positive impact.  Have you noticed when people get stressed, they tend to eat more or maybe the other way around? Prolonged stress disrupts the digestive system. The stomach produces excessive amounts of digestive acid that interferes with the normal process of the digestive system. Stressed persons are prone to peptic ulcers and other digestive problems that are known to be causes of lowered metabolism rate. So when a person is stressed, there is a tendency that he will pile up in pounds because the body cant burn most of its calorie intake. Lack Of Sleep How could someone who lacks sleep even attempt to exercise or to work out intensely? Lack of sleep could reduce your BMR. Lack of sleep affects the hormone levels in the body.  As sleep decreases, the adrenal gland produces more cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone that regulates appetite, as its level increases, the person’s hunger raises too despite being full. Category Weight Loss Author Amber Add To Favorites Print This Article Email Article To A Friend Post Comments   Rate This Article (0) 1 - Poor2345 - Good678910 - Excellent Added On Sun Apr 20th,2008       Related Article  What Ingredients Do Skin Whiteners Contain