Best Tips For Boost Your Metabolism

There is far more to weight loss and calorie burning than meets the eye. Slaving away in each and every one of us is something called ‘metabolism’. Our metabolism works tireless around the clock – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – to burn calories, shed fat and help us lose weight. How effectively we burn these calories and drop the pounds, however, depend very much on the speed of our metabolism. 

This speed varies from individual to individual. Men tend to have a faster metabolism than women, even in the state of rest; and most people, men and women alike, over the age of 40, experience much slower metabolism than those who are younger and more active. Age and gender aside, other factors such as genetics and lifestyle also affect your metabolism. While some of these factors are beyond our control, here are some ways you can help give your metabolism an added boost.

Keep Yourself Hydrated

Our body needs water not only to function but also to fuel its calorie burning activities. Even if you are slightly dehydrated, you can expect your metabolism to slow down quite significantly. Studies have shown that adults who drank more than 8 glasses of water a day burned more calories than those who didn’t. So, if you want to keep your metabolism going, ensure you are well hydrated throughout the day by drinking liquids or taking fruits with high water content.

Build Muscle

Very simply put, the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolic rate. Our metabolism works even while our body is resting – also known as our resting metabolic rate (RMR). Every pound of muscle we have burns an estimated 6 calories a day to sustain itself, and every pound of fat burns only 2. That’s a huge difference over the day, let alone the entire year. What’s more, putting your muscles through regular bouts of intensive training increases your average daily metabolic rate, helping you lose weight and keep fit in the long run.

Healthy Snacking

Instead of having three large meals a day, try having 5 smaller meals spread across the day – breakfast, mid-morning, lunch, tea break, and dinner. By eating or snacking every three to four hours, you keep your metabolism actively crunching calories over the course of the day. Plus, you can be sure you won’t end up overeating at mealtimes.

Spice It Up

To those who have a higher tolerance for tongue-numbing spiciness and of course, the ones who just love that added kick of flavor to go with their meals, we say take that spice level up a notch or two. Spicy foods with ingredients like pepper, tabasco and chili flakes contain chemical compounds that rev up your metabolic rate. Though temporary, the long-term effect it will have on your metabolism can be pretty powerful.

Up The Protein

Most meals that are part of a well-balanced diet will include carbohydrates, fat and protein. Of these three, our body burn considerably more calories when it comes to digesting protein as it does for the same amount of fat or carbohydrates. In addition to the many health benefits associated with the cutting down on fat and simple carbohydrates, substituting them with lean protein-rich foods is a great way to boost your metabolism at every meal time.

Don’t Cash In On Crash Diets

There are all sorts of weight loss diets all over the world. Among them are the crash diets – the ones that involve restricting calories, eliminating important food groups, and promising you immediate and drastic weight loss. Crash diets give you visibly quick results at the start, but this happens at the expense of proper nutrition and your overall health and well-being. 

You may notice amazing initial weight loss, like dropping dress sizes and improved readings on the weighing scale, but invisible to the naked eye is the harm that is actually being done to your metabolism. Only a small percentage of this reduction in weight is attributed to the loss of fat. 

Without complementing your diet with muscle-building exercises, your weight loss is beyond doubt largely due to the loss of muscles mass. The unfortunate thing about this is that muscle is essential for your metabolism to function effectively, and with the depletion of muscle, your metabolic rate is bound to slow down and cause you to gain weight even faster than before.