When it comes to weight loss, the first thing that comes to mind is how to boost your metabolism. This is the ultimate question surrounding the simplest weight loss program. But most people don’t know how metabolism functions. So let’s first understand what metabolism is, and then go on to learn about ways to boost it.
What is Metabolism?
Metabolism is the term for the series of chemical reactions that occur in the cells of an organism in order to sustain life. Metabolic processes lead to growth and reproduction, allowing an organism to maintain its structure and respond to its surroundings. All chemical reactions that occur in an organism, from digestion to the transport of substances from cell to cell, can be part of metabolism..
How to Increase Metabolism?
Metabolism refers to how efficiently the body performs all activities, including the digestion and absorption of the food that fuels the body. Metabolism will not improve overnight by simply consuming supplements such as L-carnitine/fat burners or green tea. It requires a comprehensive and consistent approach.
1. Engage in exercise
It’s true that when you exercise, you burn more calories, especially if you raise your heart rate through activities like biking or swimming.
This increased calorie burn lasts as long as your workout. You may continue to burn additional calories for an hour or so afterward, but that’s where the after-effects of exercise end. Once you stop exercising, your metabolism will return to its resting rate.
If you consume a lot of calories after exercise, thinking your body will continue to burn calories for the rest of the day, you run the risk of weight gain..
2. Do not skip meals
Skipping meals or eating very little is not the right way to lose weight. In fact, in the long run, it may mess up your metabolism. Eating regularly helps keep your metabolism in balance. Eating 1-2 small meals or snacks in between regular meals can boost your metabolism. According to the study, those who snacked between regular meals ate less at regular meals. Otherwise, the long interval between meals can slow down metabolism and increase the body’s ability to store fat. Take help from a nutritionist about when you should eat between regular meals.
3.Enjoy Green Tea
Green tea may also give your metabolism an extra boost. Studies have shown that green tea may be able to help you burn more fat at rest and during exercise.
Unfortunately, the effect of green tea in increasing fat burning is also not enough to change the numbers on the weight chart.
4.Fill Up on Protein
Your body takes more time to break down protein than fat or carbohydrates, so you end up feeling fuller, for longer. But protein may also give your metabolism a boost thanks to a process called thermogenesis, in which your body uses about 10 percent of its caloric intake for digestion.
Because it takes longer to burn protein than carbohydrates or fats, your body uses more energy when absorbing nutrients from a high-protein diet.
A quick way to get more protein. Add whey to smoothies. Whey protein increases calorie burning and fat utilization, helps the body maintain muscle, and triggers a sense of satiety in the brain.
A study published in 2016 showed that fat oxidation, the process of breaking down fatty acids, and thermogenesis, the extra energy the body needs during digestion, were greater with whey than with soy or casein.
5. Go to bed earlier
We all know that we should get more sleep, but that’s apparently easier said than done.
One study found that even though you have a hard time getting the recommended eight hours of sleep, when you go to bed makes a big difference in your metabolic control.
Going to bed earlier helps prevent an unhealthy blood sugar spike the next morning after eating. That’s good news for your metabolic control, meaning you’re less likely to feel hungry again soon after.
6. Drink enough water
Water helps boost your metabolism, detoxify your body of waste, and control your appetite. In addition, increasing your water intake encourages your body to stop retaining water, which allows you to shed those extra water pounds. However, if you are in a dehydrated state, your metabolism will slow down. Try to stay hydrated by drinking at least 10 to 12 glasses of water a day.
7.Try To De-Stress
Of course, destressing is easier said than done. Studies have shown that when you’re stressed, your metabolism can stall. There are several possible reasons for this, but one of them is that chronic stress stimulates the production of betatrophin, a protein that inhibits an enzyme needed to break down fat, according to a 2015 study.
Other research published in 2014 in the journal Biological Psychiatry found that women who experienced a stressful event the day before eating a high-fat meal burned 104 fewer calories in the seven hours afterward than their less-stressed counterparts.
8. Don’t lose weight too fast
Dropping weight too quickly or crash dieting is something you should avoid to stop your metabolic rate from dropping significantly. This makes it more difficult for you to keep the weight off, let alone lose it.
Researchers have shown that rapid weight loss causes more of a drop in metabolic rate than more gradual weight loss.
In addition, your metabolic rate can remain low for years, which means that even if you do lose weight, you will have to eat significantly less in the long run to maintain your new weight.
Summary
To boost your metabolism, you have to take comprehensive measures. Food, exercise, and sleep all play a role — not just in your weight, but also in your overall health. There is no easy answer to increasing your metabolism or burning more calories. But if you try our eight tips, you can find what works best for you.