
Written by Stephen Anton PhD on August, 1st 2021
Can exercise influence your metabolism? Indeed it can… and does so in multiple ways!
Before we get into the many ways exercise can affect your metabolism, it is important to first define what is meant by “exercise” and “metabolism” since these terms can mean different things to different people. For example, the word exercise could mean going for a walk around the block, completing a full Ironman, or anything in between.
What Qualifies as Exercise?
For our purpose, “exercise” is any activity in which large muscle groups are purposely moved with the goal of improving health and/or fitness, and “Metabolism” refers to the multiple processes through which the body produces energy.
The metabolic process we are most familiar with is the process of converting the food (or calories) we consume into energy (ATP) our cells can use. But this is just one type of metabolic process. Our bodies also have the amazing ability to mobilize and utilize our own stored fat into an energy source (ketones) that can be used when glucose reserves are low.
Ok back to the original question, can exercise influence your metabolism