Excuses, excuses

Vibrant Life, Nov-Dec, 2004

The cause of most weight problems is not "slow metabolism" per se, but rather inactivity. While small metabolic boosts from green tea and other simple diet changes may accumulate over time into long-term benefits, the ultimate key to weight control is to keep moving and build muscle.

Exercise increases metabolism by increasing muscle mass, which burns significantly more calories than fat. Metabolism tends to slow over time, not because of some inherent aging process, but primarily because we become more sedentary and lose calorie-burning muscle.

"The absolute best way for someone to change his or her total metabolic rate is by being more active," says Janet Walberg Rankin, Ph.D., professor of human nutrition, food, and exercise at Virginia Tech.

(Environmental Nutrition)