How to Increase Metabolism Rate of your Body
Our metabolism takes the blame for a lot of things. Why are you unable to eat chocolate without gaining weight? Metabolism. Why are those extra pounds refusing to budge? Metabolism. What about general fatigue? Metabolism. But how much do you know about what metabolism is and what it does? Instead of blaming it all on metabolism, can you really do something to turn the tides in your favor? Well, the answer is yes!
Higher metabolism is not a privilege that is restricted to a few lucky ones. You can work to increase your metabolism rate, too. Read on to know more!
What is metabolism?
Metabolism refers to the chemical process that continuously goes on in the body to keep the organs running normally, such as digesting food, repairing cells, and breathing. Your body needs energy to carry out the metabolic process, and it is your BMR (basal metabolic rate) that is the total number of calories used by the body to function normally. It is important to focus on your metabolism rate if you want to kick off those extra pounds.
Why is boosting metabolism important?
The better your metabolism is, the more calories you can burn and it gets easier to lose weight. It's important for the biochemical processes of combining nutrients with oxygen to release all the energy your body needs for functioning. There are several metabolic diseases, such as thyroid (hyper/hypo) and diabetes that can occur when the metabolism decreases. Though there are other reasons behind these diseases, trying to get a high metabolism definitely makes you healthier.
11 Ways to Increase Metabolism Rate:
1. Eat a variety of whole grain and fiber rich foods
If you want to know how to increase metabolism, take a look at your daily diet. Whole foods have a complete assortment of vitamins and minerals that spark up your metabolism. They get you the energy needed to move around. In fact, all the popular diets follow this same idea in which they suggest avoiding processed food in favor of vegetables and lean meat. The absence of unnecessary junk and preservatives in the food will make your body burn clean and speed up your metabolic engine.
2. Exercise Regularly
When the plan is to increase metabolism, there is no alternative to daily exercise. The fact that you have a low metabolism will make you feel too sluggish or too tired to workout. But you will have to move past that feeling to get your daily dose of exercise. Go for HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) where you alternate between periods of intense training and slowing down. Gradually, increase the time of intense training and reduce the relaxing time. You can ask your gym trainer to know more about HIIT workouts.
3. Don’t go too low in calories or carbs
The idea is to eat foods that increase metabolism and not stop eating altogether. Keep in mind that if you do not eat enough, your body will start losing muscle mass, and that will make your metabolism rate go down. Moreover, when you do not have enough calories, your body tends to slow down the rate at which it burns the calories to conserve all the fuel it has. You don’t want to overeat and over-fuel your body, and in the same way, under-fueling your body can be equally harmful.
4. Water Intake
The metabolism booster you were looking for has been there in front of your eyes this whole time – a glass of plain water. Several studies have shown that people who drink more water burn more calories. Chronic dehydration suppresses your metabolic rate. So, it is important to increase your water intake by at least eight ounces a day of freshwater. Of course, the water you drink as tea or coffee counts as well. But eight glasses of plain water are important, too. It will get you more energy and clearer skin as added bonuses.
5. Eat protein in every meal
Protein is the answer when you are thinking about how to increase metabolism rate. The number of calories your burn is directly proportional to how much muscle you have. Going to the gym lets you build muscle and having proteins keeps the gains from breaking down and slowing the metabolic rate.
You need to include some form of protein in every snack or meal you have throughout the day. Some of the foods you can consider in this regard are:
- Beans
- Ground turkey
- Hard Boiled eggs
- Chicken breast
- Skirt steak, hanger, or flank
6. Supplements for Boosting Metabolism
A great way to get fast metabolism is to add suitable supplements to your daily diet. Though there are a number of supplements available in the market, you need to choose metabolism tablets after careful research. Go for a reputed brand like Swisse that you can trust to deliver you quality products. However, keep in mind that though supplements help in boosting metabolism and aiding in weight loss, they are not substitutes for healthy and nutritious food. So, follow the instructions given on the package of supplements, but also have good food daily.
7. Stand up and Take breaks while working
The modern sedentary lifestyle is the root of all evils when it comes to low metabolism and increasing weight. You sit at one place for the whole day and do not move your eyes away from the screen – your body is not taking it too kindly. So, how to improve metabolism with your sedentary lifestyle? Apart from getting daily exercise and eating right, take breaks while working. Stand up and move around for some time. You can do a bit of light stretching before coming back to your workstation. You will feel a lot better at the end of the day.
8. Get Enough Vitamin D
Vitamin D is also known as the sunshine vitamin because the body produces it when exposed to sunlight. It is an essential vitamin that most people have enough of through sun exposure and the food they eat. However, vitamin D deficiency is pretty common, and that can impact your metabolism rate drastically. In that case, it helps to add Vitamin D tablets to your diet. Take a tablet daily after your meal, or as suggested by your physician. But make sure to never miss a dose. It will also help with your iron metabolism.
9. Stress less laugh more
Stress can actually make your body metabolize food slowly. Making matters worse, the kind of food you crave when you feel stressed tend to be full of sugar or loaded with unhealthy fat. Combine excess daily stress, high calorie cravings, and a slow metabolism, and what you will get is an increasing weight. So, in order to work on your amino acid metabolism, you need to bid goodbye to stress as much as possible. Take yoga, travel, read a book, listen to music – do anything that keeps your mind at peace and makes you laugh more.
10. Get 8hrs of Sleep
“One more hour of ‘Walking Dead’ before I sleep” or “let’s finish this presentation before I sleep” - have you ever wondered how many hours of sleep you have sacrificed like this? While sleeping doesn’t decrease or increase metabolism, lack of sleep creates a hormonal imbalance related to dysregulation of hormones related to appetite. When you don’t get enough sleep, you will feel tired throughout the day. Naturally, you will want to eat sugary foods to get more energy. Don't get into this vicious cycle, and get eight hours of sleep daily.
11. Eat right at the right time
So, you eat only veggies and fruits and the good things. But you take your first meal at seven in the morning and the next one maybe at three in the afternoon or maybe even after that. You are not really helping your metabolism this way. The key to sustained weight loss and a high metabolic rate is to eat right at the right time. Maintain a fixed schedule for all your meals – breakfast, lunch, evening snacks, and dinner. Eating at the right time is the answer to how to boost metabolism.
ConclusionAs you can see, getting a high metabolic rate is all about making small changes to your daily routine. Eating right, eating on time, daily exercising, enough sleep, less stress, and the right supplements – all of it seems pretty doable, right? So, when would you start making the changes?
FAQs
How do I know if I have a slow metabolism?
Unexpected weight gain, easily getting tired, or hair loss are the signs of a slow metabolism.
Is fast metabolism good?
Fast metabolism makes you burn calories faster, which explains why some individuals can eat more without gaining weight.
Can increasing metabolism cause weight loss?
A high metabolism can be helpful in losing weight and keeping those extra pounds off.
What foods increase metabolism?
Protein and mineral-rich foods, chili peppers, coffee, and legumes can increase your metabolism.
Is metabolism affected by age?
Metabolism slows down by ten percent for each decade after you reach twenty.