Metabolism refers to all the chemical reactions in your body that keep it functioning correctly. It is often used interchangeably with the term metabolic rate, which refers to the number of calories that your body burns. A high metabolic rate means that you will burn more calories and find it easier to lose weight and keep it off.
Having a high metabolism can also provide you with more energy, which can have a positive impact on your daily life. The good news is that there are several things that you can do to boost your metabolic rate and make it easier to get to a healthy weight in conjunction with a healthy lifestyle. Some of the best ways to increase your metabolism include:
How to Increase Metabolism
1. Supplements
There are several supplements that you can take to boost your metabolic rate and burn more calories. However, if you are planning to use supplements, it's important to ensure that you are using them alongside a healthy diet and lifestyle, as they are unlikely to have the desired effect otherwise.
HGH or human growth hormone supplements are a popular choice; you can learn about HRT and sermorelin therapy and why it's so popular here.
Thermogenic fat-burning supplements are another great choice for increasing your metabolism. They work to increase the temperature inside your body, resulting in a faster metabolic rate.
2. Drink Cold Water
Studies have found that people who drink more cold water compared to sugary drinks such as juice or soda tend to be more successful when it comes to losing weight and keeping it off. This is because sugary drinks are often packed with calories, so drinking water or sugar-free juice instead will automatically reduce your calorie intake. Studies have alsofound that drinking cold water can also be beneficial for speeding up your metabolism, with 17 ounces of water increasing the resting metabolic rate by around 10-30% for the next hour.
3. Weight Training
Muscle is more metabolically active compared to fat, so exercising in a way that builds muscle can help to increase your metabolism, allowing you to burn more calories every day even when you are resting. In addition, weightliftingexercises can help you build and retain muscle, combatting the metabolic rate drop that often occurs after weight loss.
4. High-Intensity Workouts
High-intensity workouts or HIT can increase your metabolic rate to help you burn more fat, even when your workout has ended. The effect on the metabolism has been shown to be greater when working out using HIIT strategies compared to other types of workouts, and HIIT has been proven effective in helping with fat burning.
Related: 15 MINUTES FULL BODY HIIT WORKOUT
5. Avoid Sitting for Long Periods
Sitting down too much has become a big part of many of our lives, especially for people who work in office jobs where they are sat at a desk all day long. But prolonged sitting for several hours throughout the day can be bad for your health. Periods of sitting can lead to weight gain and tend to burn fewer calories compared to simply standing up. In fact, studies have found that you can burn an additional over 150 calories from an afternoon of standing up rather than sitting down at work. If you have an office job where you are often sitting, try short periods of standing and stretching your legs to break up the length of time that you spend seated.
6. Eat Some Spicy Food
If you love curries and other spicy dishes, you will be glad to hear that getting more of these foods in your diet can help you naturally boost your metabolism and speed it up. Spicy foods like peppers contain capsaicin, a substance that can be effective in boosting your metabolism. One study found that adding spicy peppers to your meals could burn an additional ten calories per meal.
7. Drink Coffee or Green Tea
When it comes to the hot drinks that you consume throughout the day, coffee or green tea can be great choices, as the caffeine content has been proven to boost metabolism and promote fat burning. The caffeine in coffee has been shown to boost metabolism by 3-11%, which can contribute tosuccessful weight loss and weight maintenance. Green tea and oolong tea have also been shown to boost the metabolism by 4-5%. These teas and black coffee are also very low in calories. Learn more about the Benefits of Green Tea.
8. Get Enough Sleep
Finally, not getting enough sleep at night can impact your metabolism and make it harder to lose weight. A lack of sleep has been linked to increased blood sugar levels and a boost in ghrelin, the hunger hormone, which may explain why you feel hungrier when you are sleep-deprived.
Your metabolic rate has an impact on how quickly you can lose weight and keep it off. Try these methods if you want to give your metabolism a natural boost.
