Metabolism is a crucial element for your body’s health. Your body undergoes a chemical process called metabolism to supply cells with the energy required for survival. This process significantly affects how your body uses energy, directly impacting normal functions such as breathing, blood circulation, body temperature, and digestion. The higher your metabolic rate, the more calories you burn, making weight loss more achievable and sustainable. Various factors such as age, dietary habits, sleep patterns, genetics, and other aspects can influence your metabolism. Making small changes in your lifestyle can boost your metabolism and improve your health.
Habits That can Boost Metabolism
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- Sip More Water: Drinking more water can speed up your metabolism temporarily. Studies say that drinking 17 ounces of water can increase the metabolic rate by 30% in both men and women. Water reduces your calorie intake and helps you burn fat. Sip water throughout the day, and drink two glasses before each meal.
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- Try training with high-intensity intervals: Experiment with different training regimens, such as high-intensity interval training (HIIT). This involves engaging in brief but powerful activity bursts. Compared to other forms of exercise, you not only complete your workouts more quickly, but your metabolic rate also stays higher for longer.
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- Lift Weights: Increased muscle mass results in increased resting energy expenditure and a quicker metabolism. Start using weights a few times a week to gain muscle. When combined with a nutritious diet, fat reduction and muscle gain ought to start to show. You’ll feel stronger, have more energy, and your metabolism will increase as a result.
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- Stand more than sitting: Excessive sitting is detrimental to health. In fact, some health experts have labeled it “the new smoking.” This is partially due to the fact that prolonged sitting reduces calorie burn and might cause weight gain. Standing at work can burn calories. If you have a desk job, try standing for brief periods of time to break up the time you spend sitting down.
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- Consume More Protein: Diets high in protein naturally promote a quicker metabolic rate in addition to making you feel fuller faster because they decrease the ghrelin hormone. When combined with exercise, protein can help you build muscle. Your body may burn more calories when you increase your muscle mass, which quickens your metabolism. You can incorporate high-protein foods like meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products in your diet on a regular basis.
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- Get proper sleep: An elevated risk of obesity is associated with insufficient sleep. The detrimental impact that sleep deprivation has on your metabolic rate may be partially to blame for this. Sleep deprivation not only lowers your metabolism but also raises your risk of type 2 diabetes by increasing insulin resistance and blood sugar levels. Because fatigue suppresses the hormone leptin, which promotes fullness after meals, it can even increase your appetite by raising the hormone ghrelin.
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- Take Screen Breaks Frequently: Although setting down your laptop or phone and moving away is generally a good idea, it can also have an impact on your metabolism. Research has indicated that exposure to intense blue light in the late hours of the night and early morning can elevate blood glucose levels and exacerbate insulin resistance 16. Blue light encourages your brain to stay awake, which in turn alters your metabolism, thus it may also have an impact on your ability to sleep.
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- Take Oolong or Green Tea: It has been demonstrated that oolong and green teas accelerate metabolism by 4-5 percent. These teas aid in the conversion of certain body fat into free fatty acids, which can enhance fat burning by 10% to 17%. Drinking these teas may help with weight loss and maintenance because they are low in calories. Nevertheless, some studies show that these teas do not impact metabolism. So their effect may be limited or only apply to some people.
- Reduce Stress: Since stress can interfere with resting and eating patterns, it can have a significant impact on metabolism. One theory is that chronic stress encourages the production of betatrophin, a protein that hampers an enzyme needed to break down fat. A study also reported that people who go through a stressful day before eating a high-fat meal burned less calories than those who did not experience stress.
It becomes more difficult to maintain a constant metabolism as you age due to a decrease in muscle mass. Your body will not burn calories as efficiently when your metabolism slows down since fat tends to accumulate with age.
To learn more about how to boost metabolism as you grow older, read our blog
Your body’s capacity to function depends on your metabolism, which is also critical for burning fat. Making simple changes in your daily routine and cultivating the right habits can speed up your metabolism and improve your health.
