Fitness
There are several easy and effective ways to speed up your metabolism, simple changes to your diet and lifestyle can make a difference to your weight loss journey.
Your metabolism is responsible for converting the nutrients in the food you eat into fuel. This provides your body with the energy it needs to breathe, move, digest food, circulate blood and repair damaged tissues and cells - in other words, to survive.
How much energy you use to maintain all these vital processes is called your basal metabolic rate (the number of calories you burn at rest).
The higher your metabolic rate, the more calories you burn at rest. Many factors can affect your metabolism, including age, diet, body composition, gender, body size, physical activity, state of health and any medications you are taking.
Can you improve your metabolism?
Increasing your metabolism is the key to unlocking your weight loss, but how quickly your body burns calories depends on several things. Some people inherit a fast metabolism. Men tend to burn more calories than women, even at rest. And for most people, the metabolism slows down after the age of 40.
We can't control age, gender or genetics, but there are several evidence-based strategies that can help boost your metabolism to support weight management and general health.
1. Building muscle
Your body burns calories constantly, even when you're not doing anything. This resting metabolic rate is much higher in people with more muscle. Each kilo of muscle uses around 6 calories a day just to sustain itself, while each kilo of fat burns just 2 calories a day. This small difference can increase over time. After a strength training session, muscles throughout the body are activated, increasing your average daily metabolic rate. (1 2)
2. Intensify your training
Aerobic exercise may not build big muscles, but it can speed up your metabolism in the hours following your workout. The key is to push yourself. RIIT alternating high-intensity exercise provides a greater and longer increase in resting metabolic rate than low- or moderate-intensity exercise. To get the benefits, try including short runs during your regular walk.
3. Fill up on water
Your body needs water to process calories. If you are slightly dehydrated, your metabolism can slow down. In one study, adults who drank eight or more glasses of water a day burned more calories than those who drank four. To stay hydrated, drink a glass of water or another sugar-free drink before every meal and snack. Also, eat fresh fruit and vegetables, which naturally contain water,
4. Spice up your meals
Spicy foods contain natural chemicals called Capsaicin that can speed up your metabolism. Cooking food with a tablespoon of chopped red or green pepper can increase your metabolic rate.
The effect is probably temporary, but if you eat spicy food often, the benefits can increase. For a quick boost, spice up pasta dishes, chili and stews with red pepper flakes.
For example, a 2016 review evaluated the effects of capsaicin in acceptable doses. It predicted that eating chili peppers would burn about 10 additional calories per meal. Over 6.5 years, this could represent 0.5 kilograms (kg) of weight loss for a man of average weight.
5. Increase your protein intake
The energy expenditure when digesting protein is greater than fat or carbohydrates. As part of a balanced diet, replacing some carbohydrates with lean, protein-rich foods can boost your metabolism at mealtimes. Good sources of protein include lean beef, turkey, fish, white meat chicken, tofu, nuts, beans, eggs and low-fat dairy products.
6. Drink some black coffee
f you drink coffee, you probably enjoy the benefits of energy and concentration. Taken in moderation, one of the benefits of coffee can be a short-term increase in your metabolic rate. Caffeine can help you feel less tired and even increase your endurance during workouts.
Research has shown that caffeine can cause the body to release neurotransmitters such as epinephrine, which helps regulate how the body processes fat. (3)
7. Recharge with green tea
Drinking green tea offers you the combined benefits of caffeine and catechins, substances that speed up your metabolism for a few hours. Research suggests that drinking 2 to 4 cups of any tea can lead the body to burn 17% more calories during moderately intense exercise over a short period. (4)
8. Take care of your sleep
Lack of sleep is associated with a large increase in the chance of obesity.
It affects levels of ghrelin, the hunger hormone, and leptin, a hormone that controls satiety.
This could explain why many sleep-deprived people often feel hungry and may have difficulty losing weight or gaining weight.
In a 2019,study, they found that lack of sleep for four nights or more can slightly decrease the way the body metabolizes fat. (5. 6)
Considerations
There are many ways to increase your metabolic rate naturally, including making changes to your eating plan, exercise routine and sleep routine.
Avoid crash diets - those that involve eating less than 1,200 (if you're a woman) or 1,800 (if you're a man) calories a day - are bad for those who want to speed up their metabolism.
Although these diets can help you lose weight quickly, they are detrimental to good nutrition.
What's more, you can lose muscle, which in turn slows down your metabolism. The result is the accordion effect - your body burns fewer calories and gains weight faster than before the diet.
Disclaimer: This content, including advice, provides generic information only. Do not replace a medical opinion in any way.
SEE ALSO
BENEFITS OF RIIT TRAINING
