Want to increase your body’s natural calorie-burning engine? Time to increase your metabolism! The higher your metabolism, the better you feel and the easier you will lose weight and keep it off. Fortunately, you can take control of it.
Here are 13 super-easy ways to increase metabolism!
#1 – Try a Low-Glycaemic Diet to get a fast metabolism
Low-carb diets result in the highest increase in metabolism, but also leads to an increase in the stress hormone cortisol. Therefore, scientists concluded that a low-glycemic diet is most suitable to increase metabolism and to lose weight. Eat a diet that’s rich in high-fiber foods like beans and veggies to increase your metabolism and keep your blood sugar from spiking.
#2 – Replace all cooking fats with coconut oil
Studies found that the medium-chain fats in coconut oil increased the participants’ metabolism by 12%, compared to long-chain fats, which raised it by just 4%. Coconut oil has a unique fatty acid profile. Replacing your cooking fats may have amazing benefits for your metabolism, for weight loss and your overall health.
#3 – Choose organic food to increase metabolism
Non-organic fruits, vegetables, and grains that are loaded with pesticides block your metabolism by interfering with your thyroid, which is your body’s thermostat and determines how fast it runs. On the other hand, food grown without pesticides keep your fat-burning system running because it doesn’t expose your thyroid to toxins. To speed up metabolism, always use organic products to prepare your meals.
#4 – Eat spicy food
Eating cinnamon, red or green chilies, pepper or ginger boosts your body’s heat production as well as the activity of your sympathetic nervous system. As a result, you will achieve a temporary metabolism spike that burns extra-calories.
#5 – Stay hydrated
Flushing your system with water is always a good idea. In a study published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, researchers found that participants’ metabolism increased by a whopping 30 percent just 10 minutes after drinking 16 ounces of water. Also, studies have shown, that drinking two glasses of water before every meal helped dieters lose five pounds more than the non-water drinkers over three months.
#6 – Eat breakfast to get a fast metabolism
Eating a nutrient-rich breakfast (like an omelet with veggies or oatmeal with nuts and berries) kickstarts digestion and fires up your metabolism. Research suggests that people who eat breakfast are most successful at losing weight. Check out Women’s Best Superfoods like our Chia Seeds or our Acai Powder to create tasty and healthy breakfasts.
#7 – Don’t overdo the healthy fats
Low-carb and high-fat diets are very popular, but if you want to get extra lean, too much fat isn’t the best way to achieve your goals. Nuts, peanut butter, oils, and avocados are very healthy, but if you want to lose weight, avoid overeating on these foods.
#8 – Eat more protein for your metabolism
A high protein intake can increase metabolism and the number of calories burnt. It takes longer to burn protein than carbs or fat, so your body expends more energy absorbing the nutrients in a high-protein diet. Eating proteins, you will feel full for a longer time. Plus, adding protein to every meal helps build and maintain lean muscle mass. Muscle burns more calories than fat does, even at rest.
Looking for the perfect protein to support your body? Women’s Best Sport Nutrition Proteins not only taste delicious, but are also full of healthy amino acids and will help you gain muscles.
#9 – Drink green tea to speed up your metabolism
Green tea contains ECGC, a powerful antioxidant, which promotes fat-burning. In one study, people who consumed three to five cups a day for 12 weeks decreased their body weight by 4.6 percent. According to other studies, consuming two to four cups of green tea per day may torch an extra 50 calories. That translates into about five pounds per year.
#10 – Lift Heavy Weights
Slow metabolism? The more muscle mass the higher your metabolism, as simple as that. This means if you increase your muscle mass, you will burn more calories each day, even at rest. Lifting weights will help you retain muscle and combat the drop in metabolism that can occur during weight loss.
#11 – Skip Alcohol
Alcohol flips your brain into hungry mode. Several studies have shown, that having a drink before a meal causes people to eat around 200 calories more. In addition, the body burns off alcohol first, meaning that the remaining calories of your meal are more likely to be stored as fat.
#12 – Relax to avoid a slow metabolism
Long-term stress is really bad for your waistline. When you’re under chronic stress, your body is flooded with stress hormones, which stimulate fat cells deep in the abdomen to increase in size and encourage fat storage. Plus, stress hormones spark your appetite, making you likely to overeat. Try to do more things that calm you down; for example: going for a walk, meditating, doing yoga, go hiking, listening to classical music or taking a bath.
