How to Speed up your Metabolism
You might waver between doing weights and power jogging, but the fact is that ultimately the process of burning calories call comes down to metabolism. Enzymes in your body's cells break down the food you eat and turn it into energy that fuels both involuntary activities like your heart beating as well as voluntary ones like making the bed. Your body’s rate of metabolism thus holds the key to how much calories you burn and consequently how fast you lose weight. While in some people, a faster metabolic rate seems to be a matter of genes or ethnicity, for those of you who aren’t so lucky, here are some tips on speeding up your metabolism.
Don’t skip breakfast
Nutritionists never tire of reminding you that breakfast is the single most important meal of the day and there is a good reason for it. This is because if you skip breakfast, your body goes into starvation mode which in turn slows down your metabolism in order to conserve energy. In fact the heartier your first meal of the day, the better. In one study1 published by the American Journal Of Epidemiology, volunteers who got 22 to 55 percent of their total calories at breakfast gained only 1.7 pounds on average over 4 years. Those who ate zero to 11 percent of their calories in the morning gained nearly 3 pounds. But this should not be your license to indulge with greasy doughnuts and waffles oozing with syrup. Instead opt for foods that are slow to digest and leave you feeling fuller longer – the ideal menu for example would include a mix of lean protein with complex carbohydrates and healthy fats.
Pack protein in your lunch box
Muscle burns more calories than fat does, even at rest. Thus a good idea is to pack your meals with proteins which help build and maintain lean muscle mass. Try and include around 30 grams of protein at each meal – you can for instance get the required amount from about one cup of low-fat cottage cheese or a four-ounce boneless chicken breast.
Caffeine in your coffee
Now there is a good reason why you can opt for your regular java in the morning instead of settling for the decaf version. This is because caffeine stimulates your central nervous system by increasing your heart rate and breathing which in turn can speed up your metabolism by five to eight percent a day, translating into a difference of about 98 to 174 calories a day. Ideally though, you should stick to one to two cups of coffee in a day since excessive caffeine is again linked to several health conditions.
Green tea
Tea lovers of the world need not feel left out since a cup of brewed tea can also raise your metabolism by 12 percent, according to one Japanese study. The brew contains a plant compound called ECGC, which is supposed to promote fat burning. Other than this, green tea contains several antioxidant catechins which are believed to give a boost to the metabolic process.
Don’t avoid dairy products
In recent times, dairy products have fallen from grace on concerns like lactose intolerance and effect of hormones in milk. However dairy products are still one of the best and most widely available sources of calcium. Calcium helps your body metabolize fat more efficiently by increasing the rate at which it gets rid of fat as waste. In order to make your intake of calcium healthy, try consuming like eight ounces of milk or six ounces of low-fat yogurt for an afternoon snack instead of making yourself a cheeseburger. Interestingly enough, calcium supplements don’t seem to possess this boosting effect.
Turn on the heat
If you like your food spicy, now you have yet another reason to go ahead and chop up chilies. There is no some evidence that capsaicin, the compound that is responsible for the heat in chili peppers, can also fire up your metabolism. Eating about one tablespoon of chopped red or green chilies boosts your body's production of heat and the activity of your sympathetic nervous system according to a study2 published in the Journal of Nutritional Science And Vitaminology. This can in fact result in a temporary metabolism spike of about 23 percent. If you cannot tolerate a hot main course, add chilies to salsas or sprinkle red pepper flakes on pizzas, pastas and stir-fries.
Enough iron
Many people, especially women, around the world suffer from iron deficiency without being aware of it. One of the negative effects of this deficiency is to slow down the metabolic process since it is iron that is responsible for carrying oxygen to the muscles. This metabolic slowdown is felt as lethargy and fatigue which are other consequences of iron deficiency. So in order to ensure that your metabolism is in top working order, make it point to include enough iron-rich foods in your diet like, fortified cereals, beans, and dark leafy greens like spinach, bok choy, and broccoli.
Make it intense
If you need to lose a large amount of weight to get your body in shape or come down to healthy levels, then the right diet will need to be complemented with exercise too. But instead of going for long periods of steady exercise, try and make it intense. Experts now believe that making a workout more intense can burn the same number of calories or more in less time. Also it may be a better idea to mix things up rather than stick to the same regimen. For instance try incorporating sprints into your cardio routine and you may end up losing more pounds that you have done in your previous steady routines.
Include healthy fats
Healthy fats from fish have already known to have a wide range of beneficial effects, ranging from being heart-healthy to leading to glowing skin and hair. Now it appears they can be help you lose weight too. This is because healthy fats found fatty fish like salmon, tuna, and sardines, known as omega-3 fatty acids, are responsible for triggering the rapid transfer of satiation signals to your brain. This prevents hunger pangs and consequently keeps you from reaching for the sinful dessert or unhealthy snacking between meals.
Get enough sleep
This may seem paradoxical at first, but actually less sleep can in fact slow down your metabolism. The reason for this is to be found in leptin and ghrelin - hormones that help regulate energy use and appetite and produced in your body. When you sleep less than you should, you throw off the amounts of those two hormones and as a result your optimum energy use is hampered. In fact, researchers at Stanford University found that people who slept fewer than seven and a half hours per night experienced an increase in their body mass index3. So make sure you get at least eight hours of rest in order to help your natural metabolism run at its best speed.
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