A high metabolic rate means you burn calories faster and can loose weight easily. But most of us are not so blessed with a high metabolism but fortunately, that can be taken care of. Here are 10 ways to speed up your metabolism so that next time you will not blame your slow metabolism for that weight gain!
#1. Don’t hit that snooze
Image Source: Phalinn Ooi – flickr
Wake up and get some sunshine! Resist the temptation to hit that snooze. When you wake up early in the morning and get some bright light (basically the sun), your body clock adjusts naturally which further regulates every system in your body including your metabolism.
#2. Exercise
This is no brainer. If you are up, you better get going. Go for a morning run or hit the gym. Whatever you do, get your body into running a gear to keep burning calories throughout the day.
#3. Change the intensity
You might have heard about High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), this is a great technique to loose weight and kick up your metabolism. Whatever kind of exercise you do whether it’s swimming, walking or running, increase the intensity for 30 seconds and then come back to your normal pace. This forces your body to burn more energy.
#4. Move Around
It’s great if your are hitting the gym regularly but you can get more out of your workouts if you can move around more throughout the day. Don’t sit for long duration in office, or a couch. Get moving frequently.
#5. Don’t skip breakfast
We are in a hurry to get to office and avoid the morning traffic but skipping on breakfast isn’t going to help you much. If anything, it will make you hungry soon and you will be reaching out for snacks soon. Grab a simple and quick breakfast to avoid that.
#6. Eat whole foods
The benefits of eating better are plenty. If you want to see your metabolism shoot up you must start eating whole foods as they are rich in vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that provide you the energy to move around. Avoid fast food as much as you can and give your body cleaner fuel.
#7. Strength Training
Strength training is not just for men, women often shy away from lifting weights thinking it will lead to muscle mass. But it doesn’t quite work that way, strength training causes microscopic tears in your muscles which your body then repairs using calories. It is a good way to stimulate recovery and burn some fat while at it.
#8. Drink coffee or tea
You don’t need a reason to drink coffee or tea but the good thing is these drinks rev up your metabolism. So go ahead, have that cup of coffee or tea and get your daily dose of antioxidants.
#9. Don’t refrain from carbs
In the short run, avoiding carbohydrates may seem like a good idea for a quick weight loss. But over time, your body gets used to it and reduces the production of certain hormones which result in burning of fewer calories. You can still eat good quality carbs and reduce them eventually to avoid a rebound weight gain.
#10. Eat Protein
Your body needs protein to maintain lean muscle. You can add a small serving of lean meat, nuts or yogurt to your meal to make it more protein rich. Eating protein can increase your post-meal calorie burnout by up to 35%.