10 Steps to Boosting Your Metabolic Rate
They say the secret to weight loss is a fast metabolism. How true is this? What role does your metabolism play within your body? Does having a fast metabolism provide many other benefits apart from boosting weight loss? If you are born with a poor metabolism, is it possible to speed it up? If yes, then how? Let’s go ahead and answer these questions one by one.
What is Metabolism?
Metabolism is generally defined as a set of life-sustaining chemical transformations within the cells of a living organism. It refers to the breaking down and rebuilding processes (also called catabolic and anabolic metabolism respectively) that take place in our body. For the body organs to perform their functions, energy is necessary. And it is only through metabolism that we produce energy. There are three important factors that affect the speed of your metabolism. These are the basal metabolic rate, your level of physical activity, and the thermal effect of the food you take in. The basal metabolic rate refers to the calories you burn before activity and eating, which constitutes 65 per cent of the total calories you burn every day. The physical activity level is the calories you burn through movement, which is made up of 25 per cent total calories you burn daily. The last one, which is the thermal effect, refers to the calories you burn in digesting food, which consists of 10 per cent of the total calories you burn on a daily basis.
Unless otherwise you have health problems that affect your metabolism, you have full control of the rate at which your body metabolises. So here are 10 ways to boost your metabolic rate:
Protein-Fill Your Morning
One great way to boost your metabolism is to eat considerable amount of protein especially during breakfast. Healthy sources of protein are eggs, salmon, quinoa and lean meat. Fish does not only provide you proteins but other beneficial enzymes and nutrients as well, including omega 3 fats EPA and DHA. Protein is a natural energiser. It gives you an extra boost needed to carry out your activities for the entire day!
Add whole grain to your diet.
Substitute sugary and low-protein white rice and bread with protein and fibre-rich whole grains such as oats, barley, and quinoa. Just a cup of quinoa (a favourite vegetarian dish of many) has whopping 9 grams of protein. Amaranth, a reddish-rose coloured perennial plant is a great alternative to quinoa. A cup of Amaranth contains 10 grams of protein!
Go Nuts for snacks.
Instead of munching on high-calorie crisps, go for nuts. Nuts are rich in fibre, so your digestive system has to work double time to digest it. This means more calories can be burned by eating them. But you have to avoid salted or roasted nuts as they may have higher calories. Best nuts to include in your diet are almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, and pistachios.
Choose beans and lentils.
Make beans a staple in your diet. While Navy beans, black beans and Pinto beans are among the healthiest, nearly all types of beans are good. Make them a substitute for starchy foods like rice and potatoes.
Sign up for resistance training.
If you want to develop a leaner and sexier physique, resistance training may just be the best workout option. During resistance training, you are expected to develop and maintain lean muscles. And to do this, you need to produce a lot of energy than you need maintaining fats. Thus, your metabolic rate will be improved.
Walk your way to the office.
Or, walk your way to the school, to the grocery store or anywhere you need to go. Every time you have the option to walk, walk it! Walking is perhaps the easiest and most sustainable form of exercise that is linked to numerous health benefits, including reduced risk of mortality, better heart health, reduced risk of obesity, and of course, healthy metabolism.
Engage in the sport you love.
You don’t have to be really good in sports to reap its benefits. The point is when you are doing a sport activity; you are developing your muscles! If you really are not a fan of any sport, go ahead and try something that is most suitable to you. You will realise how addictive sports can be!
Eat less but more often.
By spreading food consumption over several meals, you can actually boost your body’s ability to utilise glucose as fuels rather than to store it as fats. Instead of sticking to three meals a day, make it five. In between meals, go ahead for a light snack.
Spice up your life!
Even the medical community understands the amazing health benefits of certain herbs and spices. Adding them to your daily diet can certainly help you improve your metabolic rate, immune function, and overall health. Herbs and spices to try are ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, and cayenne pepper. Dashing a little of these herbs to your dish does not just improve your digestion and metabolism but also gives a different twist to its taste!
Sip some green tea.
And don’t forget to squeeze some lemon juice for an added immunity boost! Green tea is known for being rich in antioxidants and for its thermal effect on the body. In a 2008 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, scientists found that the average fat oxidation rates were 17% higher among those who drink green tea than those who took a placebo. Green tea is also associated with lower risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity and other major illnesses.
By now, you must already have an in-depth understanding of metabolism, its functions and how to improve it. Boosting your metabolic rate is simply a matter of a lifestyle change – add more proteins in your diet, avoid plain starch, eat nuts, lentils and beans, sip green tea, go for a walk, try a new sport, and of course, exercise regularly. These steps may sound really easy but if you’ve been stuck to some unhealthy habits for a long time, you might find it difficult to incorporate them in your daily diet. So start little and surely, you will achieve your goal of having a fast and healthy metabolism!
Dear Readers,
What other tips can you suggest to speed up or simply control your metabolism?
Share your comment below.
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