I’m sure you’ve heard about metabolism before and may even have some idea of what it is. In simple terms, metabolism is the process by which the body burns calories and uses energy. It works 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to keep your body moving. It works even when you’re sleeping. It converts the food you consume into energy needed to breathe, grow and repair cells, circulate blood, and so on.
Some people have a naturally fast metabolism. You could be working out at American Family Fitness with a friend 3-4x a week and he or she would lose more weight than you. Men burn more calories than women. Older people have slower metabolism than younger people. When it comes to our body’s metabolism, there are things that are not within our control – such as our age, gender and genes. However, there are things you can do to boost your metabolism.
1. Build Muscle
Did you know that every pound of muscle utilizes approximately 6 calories a day? On the other hand, every pound of fat only burns about 2 calories a day. It goes without saying that the more muscle mass you have, the better your overall metabolism becomes.
2. Exercise More
Aerobic exercise can rev up your body’s metabolism even after your workout. High-intensity exercise delivers bigger resting metabolic rate so be sure to incorporate some HIITs in your routine.
3. Drink More Water
Your body requires water so it can process calories. Your metabolism may slow down even if you’re just mildly dehydrated. Adults who drink at least eight glasses of water a day burn more calories than those who drink half this amount.
4. Have Some Snacks
When you eat large meals and nothing in between for hours, this will trigger your metabolism to slow down. It’s better to have a light (and healthy) snack every 3 to 4 hours so your metabolism will continue to work hard and burn more calories throughout the day.
5. Add Spices to Your Food
Spicy foods can kick your metabolism a notch higher. You can add a tablespoon of chopped chili pepper to your pasta dishes and stews to increase your metabolic rate. If you eat spicy foods regularly, the benefits will add up.
6. Consume More Protein
Your body burns a lot more calories when digesting protein so why not replace some carbs with protein-rich foods? Good sources of protein are turkey, lean beef, fish, chicken, tofu, nuts, eggs, and beans.
7. Drink Black Coffee
One of coffee’s benefits is to increase the body’s metabolic rate. Caffeine also helps increase your endurance when exercising and give you more energy to avoid feeling tired during the day.
8. Drink Green Tea
Drinking green tea provides you the combined benefits of catechins and caffeine. If you have not heard of catechins before they can rev up the metabolism for at least two hours. According to recent research, drinking 2 to 4 cups of green tea can trigger the body to burn 17% more calories when exercising.
9. Say No to Crash Diets
Eating less than 1,200 calories (for women) or 1,800 (for men) is already classified as a crash diet. They help you lose a few pounds initially but you also lose muscle which in the long run will cause your metabolism to slow down. Besides once your body gets accustomed to you consuming fewer calories, it also lessens the amount of calories it burns as a way of self-preservation.
To avoid fad diets, check out this guide: