Weight loss tips

5 Weight loss tips to boost your metabolism

Metabolism is a term used very often in weight loss and many people fail to understand what is metabolism and the role it plays in losing weight. In plain English metabolism is a term used to describe the rate at which your body burns calories. Young people and those who are not overweight turn to have a faster metabolism which simply means that they can burn calories faster. By burning calories faster they are able to maintain their current weight or if they accelerate their metabolism to lose weight faster. Many factors affect metabolism and these include the age, sex, weight and activity levels. Despite that there are many ways to improve your metabolism which will result in a more efficient weight loss and we have gathered the 5 best ways to boost your metabolism.

1. Keep your stomach busy and the calorie burning process active

One of the most efficient ways to boost your metabolism is to keep the process that burns calories active. You can do that by proving your body with small but frequent meals spread throughout the day. This is one of the most common weight loss tips and is suggested by all diet plans and programs. Instead of eating three large meals you can instead go for smaller meals every 2-3 hours. By doing so you give enough time to your body to break down the calories consumed into energy. On the other hand if you consume a lot of calories at once your body cannot process them and as a result energy is transferred to the reserves, commonly known as fat.

2. Eat foods that increase the metabolic rate

Boost Metabolism
Boost Metabolism

Some foods have special characteristics that are said to increase metabolism. Such foods and drinks are: Green tea, soup, Spicy food, grapefruits, apples, pears, broccoli and black chocolate. In general green fruits and vegetables can help the body burn more calories while spicy foods can increase body temperature which in turn increases the amount of calories your body can burn. In addition several scientific studies identified that low-fat dairy products, lean meat and generally foods that are high in protein can give metabolism a boost.

3. Cardio exercises and Resistance training exercises

If you ask a fitness trainer what is the best reason to do cardio exercises such as aerobics, the most common answer you will get is: “It can boost your metabolism”. This is true because such activities increase the heart beat rate which in turn makes the calorie burning process faster. While this is true it is also true that the metabolic boost can be temporary and will slow down as your heart returns to the normal beat rates. This is where strength training exercises (for example weight lifting) come into place. With weight lifting and strength training exercises you can replace your fat tissues with more muscles. Having more muscles in the body will enable you to lose calories while at rest. Muscles are the only tissues in the whole body that can burn calories. This is also the reason why athletes and people who exercise regularly have a faster metabolic rate than people who live a sedentary life.

4. Never skip breakfast

Many experts suggest that you should never skip breakfast and there is a pretty good reason for that. Breakfast is important for many reasons and one of them is it can kick-start your metabolism. While sleeping your body is at rest and the metabolism slows down. If you skip breakfast your metabolism will stay slow until your first launch but will not be able to cope with the large amount of calories consumed and as a result a lot of calories will not be burned. On the other hand by eating a good breakfast you wake up your metabolism and accelerate the calorie burning process. In addition you will end up consuming fewer calories during your main meals.

5. Last but not least, iced water

Water is vital for the normal functioning of the body; there is no doubt about that. The body is more than 60% water and it needs water to replace the liquids flushed daily from the body through urine and sweating. Apart from that water and especially iced water can also serve as a metabolism booster. When drinking iced cold water the body needs more energy to warm up the body and thus more calories are burned. Additionally water can keep your stomach happy for longer periods, can help you detox the organism by removing bad toxins and can help you understand when you are really hungry.

Boosting your metabolism through these tips can generate only one outcome and this is faster weight loss.

About the author

Hara Hagikalfa

Hara Hagikalfa completed her BSc(Hons) in Health and Exercise Science, Sports Science and Medicine. She is a certified Personal Trainer and Pilates instructor. You can learn more about Hara and connect with her on Facebook

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