How to increase your metabolism
How much energy you burn is different for everyone. One person seems to be able to eat everything without gaining an ounce, while another person immediately feels a lot heavier after a cake. The speed of your metabolism determines this, because even at rest someone with a fast metabolism uses more energy. Give your metabolism a boost with these tips.
Metabolism is the process of supplying building materials and removing waste products with the aim of producing energy. So the rate of metabolism is actually the amount of energy the body burns to maintain itself. You sometimes hear that people blame their metabolism for being over or underweight. And that may not be entirely unjustified.
The metabolic process is influenced by several factors. For example, men have on average more muscle mass and a lower fat percentage, so that they use more energy. Age also plays an important role: young cells renew faster and that requires more energy. In addition, tall people need more energy to heat a larger surface area, the hormone balance has an important influence on the metabolism and heredity also plays a role.
Fortunately, there is also good news. You can increase the speed of your metabolism. Not with pills that promise miracles, but with simple lifestyle adjustments. Take advantage of the following 11 tips.
1) Develop Muscles
It is well known that muscle mass burns more energy than fat, even when you are at rest. Weight training is therefore the perfect way to boost your resting metabolism. Half a kilogram of muscle consumes 6 kilocalories in a day to support itself, with fat this is only 2.
2) Exercise intensively
Also cardio workout is a good way to increase your metabolism. It won’t give you bigger muscles, but it will make you expend more energy in the hours after your workout. The effect of intensive training is greater. So opt for an interval training or take fewer rest breaks.
Two 30-minute workouts are actually more effective for an increased metabolism than one one-hour workout. Take every opportunity to get your heart rate up: ride your bike to work or take the stairs or.
3) Drink water
The body needs moisture for the supply and removal of waste products and when there is insufficient moisture the metabolism slows down. In addition, water ensure that the organs function optimally. Drinking, especially water, is very important. It is said that drinking ice-cold water will boost your metabolism even more.
4) Eat more often
Three large meals in a day will cause your metabolism to slow down between meals. It is therefore better to eat several small portions spread over the day. With 5 to 7 small meals you keep your metabolism constant. Don’t forget to having breakfast. Not only you, but also your metabolism needs to wake up.
It is also good to have a healthy snack in the evening after the main meal. If you don’t eat anything in the five or six hours before going to sleep, the metabolism will slow down during those hours as well.
5) Season your food
With pepper you not only flavor your meal, but you can also speed up your metabolism a bit. Green and red chiles increase metabolism by 20 percent for half an hour after a meal. Not a spectacular effect, but every little bit helps.
6) Eat Protein
Proteins are more difficult to break down in the body than fat or carbohydrates, so this costs more energy. However, that doesn’t mean you should limit yourself to protein. A balanced dietary pattern is of great importance. It is important that what you eat contains sufficient nutrients and your metabolism needs certain vitamins and minerals to function optimally.
Healthy proteins can be found in tofu, eggs, fish, lean pork and beef, nuts, beans and dairy products.
7) Drink your coffee black
A coffee drinker experiences in the morning after his first cup coffee often a small energy boost and this is correct. If you drink coffee in moderation, it can have a mildly stimulating effect on the metabolism. Black coffee, of course, because milk and sugar counteract this effect.
8) Drink green tea
Green tea is also known as a means to increase metabolism. Both the caffeine and catechin in the tea boost your metabolism for several hours. Do not expect miracles from the green tea or products with green tea extract. They are especially good support.
9) Avoid crash diets
Crash diets with less than 1000 calories are disastrous for your metabolism. These diets often cause you to lose weight quickly, but this comes at the expense of a healthy diet and your muscles. Because you lose a lot of muscle mass, the metabolism also decreases. A crash diet therefore leads to a body that burns fewer calories (and thus gains weight faster) than the body you had before the diet. With a normal diet, the kilos will fly back on.
10) Get enough sleep
Too few sleep can seriously disrupt metabolism. It mainly affects carbohydrate processing, possibly resulting in glucose intolerance, hunger and a slowed metabolism. Fatigue can also cause you to eat more.
11) Adjust your environmentan
Heat production is an important energy burner for the body. If you force the body to produce more heat, the body will have to work harder and the metabolism will speed up. Turning down the heating or putting on a sweater less isn’t such a bad idea.
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