24 Jul 10 Simple Ways to Boost Your Metabolism
Everyone wants a fast metabolism. After all, the higher your metabolic rate, the more calories you burn at rest. Using more calories makes it easier to lose weight and keep it off. You also have more energy and feel healthier overall. Use these 10 simple tips to boost your metabolism with ease.
Drink More Water
You’re more likely to lose weight and keep it off if you replace sugary drinks with water. This has the greatest effect if you refrain from eating more to replace the calories that were in your beverage.
Even in the short-term, drinking more water can boost your metabolism at rest. This effect is even more significant if you drink cold water since your body must use energy to heat it up. Sip on water throughout the day, and to help you eat less, drink two cups of water before each meal.
Try High-Intensity Interval Training
Mix up your workout routines and try high-intensity interval training (HIIT). This involves doing short but intense bursts of activity. Not only do you finish your workouts faster, but your metabolic rate remains higher for longer compared to other types of exercises.
Lift Weights
Higher muscle mass equates to a faster metabolism and more calories burned at rest. To build muscle, start lifting weights a couple of times a week. Coupled with a healthy diet, you should begin to notice fat loss and muscle gain. As a result, you’ll feel stronger, have more energy, and boost your metabolism.
Eat Plenty of Protein
Eating increases your metabolism because digesting, absorbing, and processing the nutrients in your food requires energy—in other words, calories. Protein causes the highest rise in metabolism during digestion, increasing your metabolic rate by 15 to 30 percent (compared to 5 to 10 percent for carbs and 0 to 3 percent for fat).
Protein also helps you feel full longer and can prevent you from overeating. If you’re on a diet, continue to eat plenty of protein to help you retain muscle and lose fat. Protein allows your body to build muscle more easily, helping you get the most from your weightlifting efforts.
Spend Less Time Sitting
Most people spend far too much time sitting. If you have a desk job, you might sit all day at work, sit in the car on your drive home, and sit on the couch to relax in the evening. To combat this culture of sitting, make an effort to stand for a few minutes at least once an hour. Go for a walk on your lunch break. Invest in a standing desk. You could burn an extra 174 calories every afternoon if you do.
Drink Green Tea
This low-calorie drink is the perfect way to boost your metabolism. It converts some of the fat stored in your body into free fatty acids, which increases some people’s fat-burning abilities by 10 to 17 percent.
Drink Coffee
If you’re more of a coffee drinker, take heart—the caffeine in a cup of coffee can boost your metabolism by 3 to 11 percent. However, the effects are more likely to be seen by lean people than those who are overweight.
Eat Spicy Food
The compound in spicy food that burns your tongue, called capsaicin, is also capable of boosting your metabolism. However, you may not be able to tolerate the dose required to have a significant effect on your metabolic rate. At reasonable doses, capsaicin can help you burn about 10 additional calories per meal. While this isn’t significant on its own, it may provide a boost when combined with other tips to speed up your metabolism.
Get Enough Sleep
Insufficient rest is linked with an increased risk of obesity. This could be due in part to the negative effect that sleep deprivation has on your metabolic rate. In addition to slowing your metabolism, lack of sleep is linked with increased blood sugar levels and insulin resistance, raising your risk of type 2 diabetes. Being tired can even make you feel hungrier by boosting the hunger hormone ghrelin and decrease your satisfaction at meals by suppressing the fullness hormone leptin.
Cook with Coconut Oil
The long-chain fats in butter boost your metabolism by only 4 percent. By switching to coconut oil, which contains medium-chain fats, you increase this rate to 12 percent. Replace your traditional cooking oil with this healthier alternative to reap the rewards.
Get Help Creating a Diet Plan to Boost Your Metabolism
By making simple lifestyle changes, you can boost your metabolism and speed up the weight loss process. Mile High Spine & Pain Center is equipped to help you create a custom eating and exercise plan designed to boost your metabolism. When you do, you’ll find it easier to lose weight and promote a healthier you!
Whether you’re hoping to lose weight because you want to feel better about yourself, relieve chronic back pain, or take the pressure off your painful joints, we can help. Our services begin with a health consultation at our office in Broomfield. Please call us at (720) 507-0080 or contact us online today to get started.