How to Boost Your Metabolism - suggestions on a debatable topic

I’m sure that if you’ve been a while in the fitness world, you’ve heard about the importance of  a high metabolic rate, “…fast metabolism helps keep a person from gaining weight…” is usually the gist. Heck, There is even a diet plan named fast metabolism! Some people naturally have a high metabolic rate, but can we do something about it to improve on it? Research suggests metabolism does have a genetic component, but  whether a person can change their metabolic rate or not is still a matter of great debate, Personally, after studying the matter, trying it out, and seeing some results on others, I believe it does.

what is metabolism?

Let’s start off by explaining what is metabolism. Metabolism is defined as a chemical process in the body that keeps it functioning properly. People also use this term when they want to describe metabolic rate, which is the number of calories a person burns. A slow metabolism means you are burning fewer calories while a fast metabolism means you are burning a lot of calories in a short amount of time. Here are a few things we recommend for you to do if you want to boost your metabolism so you don’t gain weight or to lose excess weight altogether. 

Eat small but frequent meals throughout your day 

Start off by eating frequently. Eating every couple of hours in small doses increases your metabolic rate. Choosing what you eat also helps with this. Eat more protein to help raise your metabolic rate by 15%-30%. Some would suggest spicy food which can also contribute to an increase in metabolic rate. It increases the number of calories you burn. Peppers, ginger, black pepper, mint, and mustard are just some of the spices that help boost your metabolic rate. 

Drink more water 

Taking in more water not only boosts your metabolism but it also makes you feel full, discouraging you from eating more. Drinking cold water can help even more since our body uses energy to warm the water to your body temperature. Our recommendation is to keep a bottle of water within reach. When you see it, you drink from it. Keep a small bottle with you wherever you go. On your desk at work, on the counter at home, always at your sight. It sounds like we exaggerate, but trust me, this will make a major change. You can read more on the benefits of water here. 

Drink tea and coffee 

Drinking green tea and oolong tea increases metabolism by 4%-5%. These convert some of your stored fat into free fatty acids, which increases fat burning by 10%-17%. Coffee can also help with increasing metabolism. This is due to the caffeine content of this drink. Whether you are a coffee or tea lover, integrating one of those can help you with increasing your metabolic rate.  

Choose the right exercise for your body 

Exercising per se won’t help increase your metabolism and help you lose weight. The right exercise however, will. Choose an exercise that increases your muscle mass to increase metabolism. Having more muscles increases your metabolism, which in turn burns more calories even at rest. Some exercises that help increase muscle mass include weight lifting, resistance training, and HIIT or high intensity interval training. Vary your exercise and you will likely keep at it. 

Use the right supplements to maintain muscles 

Since we’ve established that muscles equal increase in metabolism, maintaining muscle mass is crucial to keeping your metabolism high. Supplements that can help you sustain your muscle mass are fish oil, essential amino acids and Vitamin D. 

• Fish oil, which reduces inflammation and helps with recovery. 
• Essential amino acids, which helps grow new muscle fibers and repair torn ones.
• Vitamin D, which helps maintain healthy muscles and muscle strength.

Avoid stress 

When a person is stressed, cortisol levels go up. This makes your body hold fat in the stomach area and lower body. Keeping stress levels low can help you avoid that bulging tummy and help you lose those love handles faster. Easy said than done, I know, however, being more aware of your situation is winning half the battle. 

Get enough sleep 

Did you know that not getting enough sleep can actually make you fat? Sleep is a major key factor in boosting your metabolism. When you don’t get enough sleep, your body releases less leptin, which is a hormone that regulates appetite. This also releases more ghrelin in your system, which is what makes you feel hunger pangs. Regulate your sleep hours and set a pattern for your sleep so you have no trouble getting to sleep. Also, try to get good quality sleep. It is important that you get a restful sleep and not just count the hours you rest. Regulating your sleep, similar to regulating your meals can help our brain to prepare for the coming events of the day and balance the chemicals in our bodies accordingly. 

To Sum Things Up

Whether metabolic rate can be improved or not might still be a matter of a debate medically, but looking at what this has done for people, it seems to me pretty clear – those who do follow a regiment based on these tips feel great improvements in their overall feeling and energy levels, so try it out for a week and see what it does for you!

Think otherwise or have results to share? leave a comment below.