Metabolism Question

a00link
a00link Posts: 72
edited September 20 in Fitness and Exercise
Will working out a lot over a given period of time, boost my normal metabolism even on a day when I didn't work out?

Today will be the first day since November 6th that I haven't worked out. I will probably do my daily crunches and maybe some light Wii Fit or something but I am coming down with some kind of cold or something and it's zapping my normally exuberant energy. I figured today I will give it a break.

So I would assume by exercising for over 30 days straight (hitting my calorie goals daily and lately going awol at the gym in comparison), will my "at rest" metabolism today be higher than it was in the beginning of November, even though I have lost 10 lbs since?

I hope this isn't a confusingly worded question. Thanks for any and all input.

Replies

  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    The answer is a lot more complicated than just yes or no. By that I mean, it depends on a lot of factors. I will say this, if you've raised your activity level, then yes, one day off of working out won't lower it back down, but on the other hand, metabolic changes are slow, and they aren't very big, so while yes, your metabolism has almost certainly raised in the time you have worked out, it's not by an overly large margin (maybe by like 50 to 100 cals per day or so).

    Where metabolic changes are really dynamic are in people who have solved medical issues through diet and exercise. Like someone who had a hormonal issue that eating a more healthy diet and exercising fixed as an example.

    Raising your fitness level definitely will have a cumulative net positive outcome, but 30 days isn't really enough time to enact huge changes metabolically.
  • mxhelili
    mxhelili Posts: 33
    yes, your body metabolizes food more efficiently the fitter it is. although i learned in an intro to exercise science class that it takes just one week to lose one month's worth of training's gains. if you're sick, don't kill yourself exercising, because your body uses more energy to heal itself. during this time just watch your eating and maybe go ahead and do those crunches. but nothing more till you feel up to it. i just got over a cold myself so i feel (felt?) your pain. feel better!
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