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Metabolism is the set of life processes that happen within the cells of our body to keep it functioning. In simple terms, the more calories we burn, the higher is the metabolic rate. A high metabolism helps in weight loss, keeps you energetic and fresh.
How to Increase Your Metabolism?
Now since it’s clear that if you want to lose weight, you should pep up your metabolism, the question is, how? Here are 11 useful and handy tips that will help you boost your fat-burning processes.
1. Eat Adequate Protein
Protein intake increases your metabolic rate by 15-30% and keeps you satiated for longer periods. In fact, studies reveal that people tend to eat 441 lesser calories when protein comprises 30% of their diet. Hence, if you are looking to lose weight, eat sufficient protein as it reduces muscle loss and keeps your metabolism from slowing down.
[ Read: 25 Best Weight Loss Foods ]
2. Go for Green Tea
It’s good news for tea lovers. Green tea contains catechins, a type of antioxidant that accelerates the liver’s capacity to turn fat into energy. So even if you are a coffee lover, try switching to green tea one to two times a day. Also, supplement your exercise regime with green tea intake for speeding up the weight loss process.
[ Read: 10 Best Weight Loss Teas ]
3. HIIT Workout with Interval Training
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) can do wonders to speed up your metabolic rate. the higher the metabolic rate, the faster the fat-burning process. Combine this with interval training where you go in for periods of high-intensity workouts and then follow them up with periods of low-intensity activity. Interval training will improve your metabolism and insulin sensitivity, thereby revving up weight loss processes.
[ Read: 15 Best Exercises for Weight Loss ]
4. Lift Weights
Building muscles will increase the metabolism as muscles are more active than fat. So? Start lifting weights to build muscle mass. Also, lifting weights will combat the drop in metabolism and maintain your existing muscle mass. Hence more muscle means better metabolism.
5. Walk Around More
Sitting is now being dubbed as the new smoking. Sitting for long periods will burn lesser calories and increase your weight. So get up and walk around. Go and personally handle over the file to your junior or subordinate. Take breaks from work and walk around the office. Break your sitting time and try to move around more frequently.
6. Track Your (Calorie) Numbers
Every person’s body is different owing to their schedule, body structure, health condition, eating regime, and genetics. So the number of calories you need to burn to lose weight will be unique and different from someone else. Firstly, you have to ascertain the number of calories you eat on a regular basis. Use an app or an online calculator to monitor and analyze these figures. You can also keep a food journal to track your food intake. Try and maintain a consistent eating regime for getting fair figures.
[ Read: 1200 Calorie Diet Plan For Weight Loss ]
7. Increase Active Movement
Once you start maintaining your daily calorie intake, it’s time to increase your daily activity. Take small steps for change, like take the stairs, walk from the grocery store, and start doing some easy exercises. The aim is to increase your metabolic rate. remember, your diet regime remains the same. Which means no extra energy drinks or high-calorie foods that will pep your metabolism. Now use an activity tracker to see how many more active calories you are burning every day.
Slowly, as you get used to a more active lifestyle, you can add some rigorous activity sessions like aerobics and HIIT to your regime. Let your body adjust to the current schedule and slowly increase the intensity of the workouts. Strength training is another wonderful way of increasing the metabolic rate with lean muscle mass.
8. Manage Your Diet
You have increased your daily activity and started incorporating high-intensity workouts in your regime. Do you feel more hungry? That is normal. Now compare your daily calorie intake from your food journal with your current calorie intake. Make sure you do not increase the calorie intake just because your metabolism has improved.
Start introducing meals that include more fiber that keeps your hunger in control. Eat more nutrition like fruits, vegetables and stray clear of white starch, chips, crackers, and refined food. When you still feel hungry, drink a glass of water and go for a walk, a bath or just do something that distracts you. You do not have to increase your calorie intake.
[ Read: 1000 Calorie Diet Plan For Weight Loss ]
9. Spice It Up
We are talking about food! Yes, add some spicy ingredients to your diet as they help in burning more calories. Capsaicin is a substance found in pepper and is known to boost metabolism. And studies suggest that eating pepper in every meal will burn 10 extra calories per meal.
On the whole, the effect of adding spices to your meals may be minimal. However, even though small, it will add to your metabolism increasing effort.
10. Catch Up on Your Sleep
Sleep deprivation has many side-effects, one of them being a reduction in metabolism. Increased sugar levels and insulin resistance are all impacts of sleep deprivation, all leading to a sluggish metabolism. Lack of sleep is known to trigger a hunger hormone ghrelin and decreases the hormone leptin, which induces a feeling of fullness on eating.
Apart from other health impacts, lack of sleep disrupts your sugar levels, leaves you lethargic and decreases your calorie-burning capacity. The result is a slower metabolism and tendency to gain weight.
11. Use coconut oil for Cooking
Medium-chain fats are known to rev up your metabolism and can increase the metabolic rate by 12%. Coconut has medium-chain fats, hence using coconut oil for cooking will improve metabolism and aid in weight loss.
Making small changes in your diet and lifestyle can go a long way in boosting metabolism. Stay replenished by drinking plenty of water and sleep well without gadgets and disturbance. A good metabolic rate will keep you energetic and supplement your weight loss efforts.
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