13 Tips To Boost Your Metabolism And Lose Weight
Learn how to boost your metabolism and lose weight easier. This tips will make your weight loss journey more effective and enjoyable.
First and foremost not all people are built the same and while others have a higher metabolic rate (energy expenditure-calories burned by your body in a certain amount of time) that doesn’t mean that this is the only reason why some of this people are thin. It’s not hard to boost your metabolism and you can easily do it following the tips below.
Yes, boosting your metabolic rate can play a significant role in losing weight but it also has other important health benefits.
What is metabolism?
Metabolism is all the chemical reactions that take place in our body to keep us going. Technically is the process by which our body transforms the food we consume into energy.
Each individual is born with a different metabolic rate but is still not clear how much does it have with our genetic build.
If you boost your metabolism to have a higher metabolic rate doesn’t necessarily mean that you are going to be thin.
Scientists proved that obese people actually have a higher metabolic rate (1 , 2) and that is mainly due to the higher amount of muscle that helps support the extra weight.
Increasing your metabolism will not only help you lose weight more efficiently but it’s also beneficial to your immune system, fertility, helps have more lean muscle mass, better brain function improves your mood, your energy level and will keep you from prematurely aging.
The metabolic rate is affected by multiple factors like age, body size, muscle mass, environmental temperature, hormones and physical activities.
The metabolism naturally slows down with age, but with a few lifestyle changes, you can postpone it.
If you consider yourself to be amongst the unlucky and that you are stuck with a low metabolism I have good news for you, this can be easily changed.
How to boost your metabolism.
1.Careful with diets
When attempting to lose weight most people count and cut calories, but if taken too far this can actually be counterproductive in long term. Researchers showed that when depriving your body of the necessary nutrients daily the metabolic rate drops and is sustained after you stop dieting.(3, 4)
When our body doesn’t get enough nutrients on a daily basis it’s going to go into “starvation mode”. Our bodies enter a survival mode because we are built like this to ensure our survival during times of famine.
Your metabolism will slow down burning fewer calories and you will actually hold on to any extra calorie. When in starvation mode your metabolism and all other body functions will slow down and the energy produced by your body will go towards our most important functions like breathing and heart beating.
2. Get enough rest
Lack of sleep is not only detrimental to your overall health but also slows down your metabolic rate and increases the chances of gaining weight. (5,6)
When you get enough quality sleep your energy levels are higher, you prevent weight gain and your mental functions work properly.
3. Drink More Water
Boosting your metabolism can be as easy as reaching for a cup of water. Drink 2 glasses of water first thing in the morning to start up your metabolism. Drinking water before every meal can temporarily increase your metabolic rate by up to 30%. If the water is cold this rate can be even higher.
If you are struggling to drink enough water or are not too fond of plain water use a fruit infuser water bottle to add some taste to it and make it easier.
4. Get moving
Increasing your daily basic activities, such as standing, walking around, doing chores or trying to dress your toddler in the morning will help boost your metabolism.
If you spend a lot of time sitting stand up regularly, walk around, take the stairs, clean your house and even fidgeting will help you burn more calories.(7)
5. Try HIIT
High-intensity interval training is known for improving your metabolic functions along with the cardiovascular health.
HIIT is a workout that can involve any type of exercise as long as they are done in short bouts of high- intensity followed by a short recovery period.
HIIT workouts are an excellent way to burn fat in a shorter period of time and have the ability to speed up your metabolism even after the workout is done. Your body will still burn fat after you finish your workout, the concept is known as “afterburn effect.” (8)
While it was shown by numerous studies that HIIT actually burns fewer calories during the work out than endurance training, HIIT burns more fat over the duration of the day, improves metabolic rate and builds more muscle. (9,10)
6. Build muscles
Lifting weights will help you build muscle which can help boost your metabolism. The more muscles you have the more calories your body will burn. Research has shown that a pound of muscles will burn 7 to 10 calories and a pound of fat will burn 1 to 2 calories while resting.
Exercising was proven to prevent the drop in metabolic rate associated with age. (11)
7. Eat protein-rich foods
If you want to build and maintain your muscle mass protein-rich foods should be an essential component of your diet.
Protein help boost your metabolism by increasing your metabolic rate by 20-30 %. This increase may promote weight loss and sustain body weight. (12)
Protein rich foods will require your body to use more energy to digest them; this is known as the thermic effect of food (TEF).
8. Spicy Food
Certain spicy foods might help the body use energy better, the body works harder to digest them.
Spicy food such as chili pepper, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and ginger have a thermogenic (worming) effect in the body and because of that, the body uses up even more calories. (13)
Capsaicin is a compound found in hot peppers and boosts the metabolic rate and increases body temperature which enhances fat burning.
Piperine is found in black pepper and helps improve digestion, facilitates faster fat burning and reduces triglycerides and total cholesterol. (14)
Researchers also pointed out that on one part of the participants these compounds had no effect, so the results may vary from one person to another.
9. Drink caffeinated Beverages
Studies show that caffeinated beverages can temporarily boost your metabolism increasing your resting metabolic rate. They can also promote fat burning and boost your workout performance. (15,16, 17, 18)
Green tea is a natural metabolic booster thanks to the special antioxidants called catechins. Is low in calories and it can increase your fat burning abilities (19,20, 21, 22)
The effects may vary from one person to another, depending on your body size and age. Also, seasoned coffee drinkers might get tolerant to caffeine.
10. Apple cider vinegar
It has been around for centuries and has been well known for his benefits. Vinegar was used for cooking and household purposes but it also has health benefits.
Apple cider vinegar has been shown to reduce belly fat, waist circumference, and weight loss.
A study on rats has shown that acetic acid in apple cider vinegar can increase levels of AMPK, an enzyme which increases fat burning. Acetic acid can also reduce fat storage and suppresses appetite. (23,24,25)
Human research has also shown that apple cider vinegar has effects on weight and body fat. (26)
11. Legumes
Legumes are nutrient dense foods, meaning they are low in calories but high in protein and fiber which helps you feel full and due to their ability to regulate blood sugar it helps rein your sugary cravings.
One study shows that those who consume beans had better body weight and lower blood pressure. (27)
Legumes are also high in arginine amino acid that can promote increase muscle mass, reduce adiposity and boost your metabolism. (28)
12. Coconut oil
Coconut oil is extremely popular right now for all its benefits. It’s considered to be one of the healthiest foods on the planet.
It’s high in medium chain triglycerides(MTCs) which after absorbed go straight to the liver where are turned into energy, and thus diminishing the chances of getting stored as fat.
A study on women shows that having 30 ml of coconut oil on a daily basis promotes a reduction in abdominal fat. (29)
13. Eliminate stress
Stress affects our lives and bodies in so many ways and our metabolism is no exception.
Stress can increase your cortisol levels, and that can cause you to overeat and crave comfort foods with high content or sugar.
According to research, you could add almost 11 pounds per year due to stress. (30)
Avoiding all the stressful situations that can arise is impossible, but you don’t have to let yourself stress over things you can’t control.
Incorporate into your routine stress-relieving exercise or any kind of stress management techniques like breathing, meditation, yoga or aromatherapy.
However, just adding a cayenne pepper next to you junk food will not have any effect on your weight. Only combining these tips with a healthy diet and active lifestyle will bring you the desired results.
If you have any other tips on how to boost your metabolism let me know n the comments below.
