6 Simple Ways to Boost Your Metabolism

How to boost metabolism
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There are a lot of small changes that you can make in your daily lifestyle that can help you boost your metabolism. 

In this article, we will take a quick look at what metabolism is all about, how it affects your weight loss journey, and talk in length about effective and easy ways in which you can boost your metabolism and get the desired results that you are looking for.

From foods that will help to boost your metabolism to foods that slow down your metabolism and you should avoid, here is all you need to keep in mind when you are looking to boost your metabolism.

What is metabolism?

Metabolism is the chemical process or metabolic that happens in your body to convert the food and drinks you consume into energy. This is essential for your body to perform essential life functions from breathing to repairing cells and regulating body temperature. 

What effect does metabolism have on weight loss?

Metabolism doesn’t affect your weight directly. In some cases actions that can slow down metabolism overlap with poor lifestyle choices that contribute to weight gain. But the bottom line is that if you burn more calories than you consume you will lose weight. 

  • With fast metabolism: Your body burns a lot of calories even when you are at rest. This means your body needs a lot of energy to perform even essential functions.
  • With slow metabolism: On the other hand, those who have a slow metabolism will burn a lesser amount of calories for performing bodily functions. 

How to boost metabolism?

In many cases, it could be the small changes that you incorporate in your everyday lifestyle that may help you to boost your metabolism. Here are some of the effective ways in which you can boost your metabolism by adding some changes to your daily routine:

1. Start eating more protein on a daily basis

  • Eating certain types of food can help to temporarily boost your metabolism over a period of a few hours.
  • This process is known as the thermic effect of food, or TEF.
  • The thermic effect of food happens as a result of the extra amount of calories that are needed by the body to digest the food, as well as absorb and process the various nutrients that we get from the food that we eat.
  • One of the most effective nutrients that can help to boost your metabolism is protein.
  • Eating protein-rich food makes you feel full for a longer period of time, and this can also help to prevent you from over-eating or unhealthy snacking. 
  • Eating protein-rich foods may also help to boost your metabolism by improving your muscle mass. 

Some foods that are very rich sources of protein include rajma which is also known as kidney beans, different types of seeds and nuts, variation of dals or lentils, chholey which is also known as kabuli chana or chickpeas, paneer which is also known as cottage cheese, matar which is also known as green peas, as well as different types of foods made out of milk, such as dahi, which is also known as curd. If you are a non-vegetarian, you can also add eggs and lean chicken to your diet on a regular basis. 

2. Increase and toughen up your exercise routine

  • If you have not started exercising daily yet, now is the time to start your daily exercise schedule.   
  • If you are a beginner at exercise, you can start by doing 30 to 40 minutes every day of walking, jogging, running, swimming, cycling, skipping, aerobics, dancing, and so on. Speak to your doctor before you start your exercise routine, and once you get the go-ahead, start your exercise schedule to boost your metabolism.
  • If you have been exercising already, now is the time to make your exercise routine a bit tougher and increase the pace at which you exercise.
  • You can speak to a trainer or even your medical care team to understand more about high-intensity interval training, which is also known as HIIT.
  • High-intensity interval training basically means that you will do a tough kind of exercise at a fast pace for a short amount of time, then take a very small break, and then repeat the same tough and fast exercise routine again.
  • So, for instance, if you are running or walking, you will do it fast for say about 10 minutes, then stop and take a break for about 1 minute, then repeat the fast walking or running again for 10 minutes, then again take a 1-minute break and then repeat again.
  • For HIIT or high-intensity interval training, it is always best to take a go-ahead from your doctor if you have any type of medical issue, are taking any kind of medicines, or have recently recovered from any injury.

3. Increase your water intake

  • Instead of quenching your thirst with sugary beverages or aerated drinks, make it a habit to regularly sip on the water so that you can boost your metabolism. 
  • Sugary beverages or aerated drinks are loaded with a high amount of sugar content and a high amount of calories, even when they claim not to have any. When you replace these drinks with water, you will automatically bring down the number of calories that you intake which, in itself, is a good way to help you better manage your weight.
  • Drinking water will also help you feel full for longer and can help to prevent over-eating or unhealthy bouts of snacking. 

4. Drink green tea

  • Drinking green tea can effectively boost your metabolism and help you lose weight. 
  • When you have green tea on a regular basis, it may help you burn up to 3 and 4 percent of calories every day, as compared to having regular milky tea or coffee.
  • In fact, if you want to boost your metabolism even further, you can make your very own green tea at home, which is not only easy to make but is more effective than the ones that you buy from the store.

Some alternate tea options that you can make at home are warm water with jeera or cumin seeds, daalcheeni or cinnamon water, and other drinks such as sabza water or chia seed water, ginger and lemon warm water, ginger lemon, and honey warm water, etc. 

5. Get enough sleep and quality sleep

  • Yes, you read that right! Getting at least 7 to 8 hours of quality sleep at night can actually help you to boost your metabolism.
  • When you sleep for lesser hours or have uninterrupted sleep, it can hamper the way your metabolism process works and make it work slower.

6. Stand up whenever you can

  • This may sound like an absurd way to boost your metabolism, but when you sit down for long hours, you burn fewer calories, as compared to when you stand up.
  • Standing up at regular intervals can help you burn more calories and can help boost your metabolism.
  • Find out ways in which you can add more ‘stand-up’ time to your daily routine.
  • For instance, when you are having your morning cup of green tea or chai, you can stand on your balcony or near the window and enjoy your beverage. You can then read your newspaper while standing at the window. While you are cooking, keep walking in the kitchen. At the office, you can stand up at regular intervals of at least half an hour and stretch your body. It is even better if you have a standing desk at work, which may significantly help to boost your metabolism.

Foods that boost metabolism

Some of the foods that can help to boost your metabolism are

  • Foods rich in protein such as daal, rajma, chholey, lobhia, kaaley chaney, paneer, dahi, soya, eggs, lean chicken, fish, and nuts and seeds
  • Also fresh fruits and vegetables along with healthy carbohydrates and fats. 

Which foods slow metabolism?

There are no foods that slow your metabolism, that is a myth. However, there are some lifestyle habits that might lower your metabolism. Here’s what they are: 

  • Physical inactivity 
  • Low muscle mass (which may be due to a low protein diet) 
  • Lack of strength training 
  • Bad eating habits such as skipping your meals or a very low-calorie diet
  • Smoking

Fittertake 

For a long time people believed that people with a slow metabolism tend to have a higher weight. However, studies have shown that it is actually not true. Another myth is that as people get older their metabolism becomes slow.

But in reality, studies have debunked the same to show that metabolism is the same from your youth to the age of 60. So, it is important that when you are trying to lose weight you don’t focus on metabolism as much as you do on making lifestyle changes in your diet, exercise, sleep and stress management routine.

If you are unable to lose weight it may be because you have a stubborn weight. In this case, it is important to use intensive lifestyle intervention. Fitterfly’s Weight Loss program is a one-of-a-kind doctor designed program that helps you safely and sustainably lose weight. To know more about the same, reach us 022 4897 1077

FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

Is it possible to boost metabolism?

Yes, it is possible to boost your metabolism to some extent by incorporating certain changes in your regular lifestyle. 

What is the normal metabolism rate?

The basal metabolism or metabolic rate is also known as BMR.

- By Fitterfly Health-Team
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