Ways to Boost your Metabolism
Metabolism, technically defined is the term used to describe all chemical reactions in the body involved in maintaining the living state of the cells. These chemical reactions keep us alive and functioning.
There are two types of metabolism:
- Catabolism – it is the breakdown of molecules to obtain energy
- Anabolism – it is the synthesis of all compounds needed by the cells
Having a higher metabolism means you burn more calories and easier it is for you to lose weight or keep it at bay.
Here are some tips on how you can boost your metabolism:
- Eat plenty of protein – Eating protein helps you feel fuller and prevent you from overeating. This can prevent you from the intake of extra calories
- Prefer drinking water over other sugary drinks – People who drink water instead of sugary, processed drinks have an easy time keeping off the weight. Sugary drinks contain a lot of calories so it is always a good idea to replace them with water. Drinking water also results in speeding up your metabolism temporarily
- Drinking cold water – Studies claim that drinking 0.5 liters of water can increase your resting metabolism rate by 10-30% for an hour. This effect of calorie-burning may be higher if you drink cold water as the body uses energy to heat it up to the body temperature
- Avoid sitting too much – Long periods of sitting can lead to weight gain, burns very few calories, and leads to a slower metabolic rate
- Get a sound sleep – Not getting enough sleep increases the risk of obesity. This is partly caused by the negative effects of lack of sleep on metabolism. Lack of sleep decreases the number of calories that are burned and also alters the way sugar is processed in the body.
- Drink Coffee – Caffeine has proven beneficial in boosting metabolism as it promotes fat burning. It is known to boost metabolism by 3-11%
- Drink Green Tea – Like coffee, green tea is also known for its fat-burning properties and also promotes fat metabolism. You can use it as an alternative to your sugary, processed drinks
- Workout – High-intensity workouts can increase your metabolic rate. Not only that, but high-intensity interval training (HIIT) has also proven useful for burning fat. Muscles are metabolically more active than fat, which is why building up muscles can also increase your metabolic rate.
Making small lifestyle and dietary changes can help you up to your metabolism game!