How Do You Boost Your Metabolism Naturally?

Note that metabolism slows down after 40. Certain factors such as age, genetics, and gender are identified as the cause. You may not be in your control; however, there are ways to boost your metabolism without harming your body naturally. Boosting your metabolism (metabolic rate) increases the number of calories you burn. Boosting your metabolism is an efficient way to keep weight off, improve your energy, and make you feel better both physically and psychologically. So how do you naturally boost your metabolism in a healthy way?

Develop and Increase Your Muscle Mass

You may have heard of the resting metabolic rate. If not, well, the resting metabolic rate refers to the rate at which your body burns calories when you are inactive. Since all cells require energy to live, your body will burn calories even when watching TV. For you to increase your resting metabolic rate, you should consider increasing your muscle mass. Muscle burns more calories to sustain itself when compared to fat. A pound of muscle will use approximately six calories daily compared to two used by the same amount of fat. Strength training activates your muscles, boosting your basic metabolic rate. You may also consider aerobic training to boost your metabolism. High-intensity exercise effectively raises your resting metabolic rate as compared to low or medium-intensity exercises. High-intensity workouts include short bursts of jogging or resistance training to rev up your resting metabolism.

Consume Protein-Rich Diets

You might have noticed that you usually feel warmer, more active, and get a sudden rush of energy after eating. Well, eating increases your metabolism, albeit for a few hours. The increased metabolism is called the thermic effect of food (TEF). It is caused by the extra energy needed to digest, process, and absorb what you eat. Foods are mainly grouped into carbs, proteins, fats, and oils. From all these, proteins cause the most significant rise in TEF. The proteins increase your body's metabolic rate by approximately 15-30 percent. On the other hand, carbs increase TEF by 5-10 percent and fats by 0-3 percent. Studies have shown that proteins improve satiety and prevent overeating. A protein-rich diet has also been shown to reduce the drop in metabolism associated with losing fat. The drop in metabolism is usually due to muscle loss, a common side effect of dieting. A protein-rich diet reduces muscle loss, thus saving your body from the side effects of dieting.

Hydrate More Often

Drinking water, as opposed to sugary drinks, is a successful way of keeping weight off and remaining healthy. Sugary drinks contain many calories; therefore, substituting them for water reduces your intake of calories. Studies have also shown that taking water can temporarily speed up metabolism. Taking about half a liter of water (17 ounces) has been shown to increase your metabolism by approximately 15% for an hour. Taking cold water may have a higher calorie-burning effect since the body is forced to raise the water's temperature to body temperature. Water also has a filling effect. Studies have shown that taking water approximately 30 minutes before a meal can help you reduce your food intake.

Take Oolong or Green Tea

Studies have shown that oolong and green tea sufficiently increases your metabolism by approximately 5%. Green and oolong teas achieve this by converting some of your stored fats to free fatty acids. Free fatty acids are easier to digest. Therefore, green and oolong teas increase fat burning by 15%. Green and oolong teas are also low-calorie teas and are efficient when maintaining or losing weight. The metabolism-boosting properties of green and oolong teas are also thought to prevent the weight loss plateau. The plateau is due to reduced metabolism.

Try Some Spicy Cuisines

Capsaicin, a component of pepper, has been shown to increase your metabolism. Some people cannot tolerate spicy foods, but this should not discourage you from trying out spicy foods. Eating peppers burn a significant amount of calories per meal. Therefore, combining spicy foods with other metabolism-improving strategies can significantly help you lose weight.

Replace Cooking Fats with Coconut Oil

Coconut oil differs from other saturated fats as it contains a lot of medium-chain fats. Unlike long-chain fats, medium-chain fats have been shown to increase your body's metabolism. Coconut oil has a unique fatty acid profile. When you replace your cooking oils with coconut oil, you stand a high chance of increasing your metabolism.

Try a Good Night Sleep

You have an increased risk for obesity if you derive your body off some good night's sleep. Sleep deprivation has been shown to have detrimental effects on metabolism. Sleep deprivation has been shown to increase insulin resistance, lower tissue sensitivity to sugar, and adversely affect metabolism. These also increase your risk for diseases like diabetes. Studies have shown that sleep deprivation may also increase your concentration of hunger hormones. The presence of the hunger hormones may explain why sleep-deprived people often feel hungry. A good night's sleep is therefore essential to balance the presence of satiety and hunger hormones. It is also vital to balance your metabolism, help you lose or maintain weight, and avoid developing metabolic diseases. Small lifestyle changes and a few new tips in your daily routine can naturally increase your metabolism. A higher metabolism is vital to losing weight, get more energy, and maintain good health.