10 ways to boost your metabolism

Boosting your metabolism seems to be something that everyone wants to do. Having a faster metabolism means you burn up energy more quickly and this is what makes having a fast metabolism so desirable for people who want to lose weight. The following tips will all help you speed up your metabolism.

Build muscle

This is probably the best thing anyone can do to speed up their metabolism. Muscle is active tissue and people with more muscle mass have much faster metabolisms than people with less. People with a lot of muscle mass burn more calories than most people even when they are resting. Look around your local gym and will see that most of the people lifting weights seriously are in great shape but the same cannot always be said for those in the cardio section. Weight training itself can boost your metabolism for up to 48 hours after a workout meaning you will be burning more calories than the average person even when you are asleep. Cardiovascular exercise is also very important for boosting your metabolism but weightlifting is much better for changing your body. Every pound of muscle in your body needs up to 6 calories a day to sustain it. Several pounds of added muscle mass can really burn up a lot of calories over the course of a year

Avoid crash diets

Nothing will destroy your body, mind and metabolism faster than the latest fad crash diet. Extreme crash diets are extremely bad for your body and will probably end up ruining your metabolism and body for life (just take one look at Oprah Winfrey to see what I mean). Stick to a sensible nutrition plan and regular exercise for results that you can keep. You may lose weight quickly with a fad diet but once your metabolism slows down (which it inevitably will) you will end up gaining more fat that you had before the diet. This yo-yo diet approach is one of the stupidest things anyone can ever do and will sabotage any hopes you have of losing weight long term. Treat your body with respect and it will do the work for you, treat it badly and you will be very, very sorry.

Eat regular and often

Small meals eaten every three hours are a key factor in a successful eating plan. By eating small nutritious meals every three hours, you will keep your blood sugar levels stable and keep your metabolism burning at full pace. If your blood sugar levels drop too low you will feel tired and your body is much more likely to store fat. Most people eat obscene amounts of refined sugar on a daily basis and this can lead to all sorts of problems for you body including obesity and diabetes. Eat lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, fruit and vegetables that will keep your blood sugar levels stable and prevent you from suffering the dreaded sugar crash.

Drink more water

Drinking plenty of water will flush toxins out of your body and keep your kidney’s working at their optimum levels allowing them to get to work on metabolizing your fat stores. Drink plenty of pure water throughout the day to boost your metabolic rate. If you are even slightly hydrated then your metabolism may slow down significantly. Your body needs water to work effectively.

Drink green tea

Green tea has been show to be particularly effective in boosting your metabolism and supporting fat loss. Green tea contains caffeine and catechins which have been proven to boost your metabolism.

B Vitamins

If you are deficient in B vitamins then you may be lacking energy. Consider taking a vitamin B12 supplement if your diet is not quite as good as it should be.

Use a fat burner

Some fat burners such as ephedrine are really effective while most are total garbage. Sadly most of the best fat burners are now illegal because they are so powerful and are likely to be abused by people who don’t know what they are doing. There are still some fat burners around that can have a slight effect on your metabolism. When using a fat burner don’t expect miracles and don’t expect it do the hard work of weight loss for you. No pill will help you lose weight without you having a good exercise and nutrition plan in place first.

Cardio is good

Doing a 20 minute cardio session in the morning is a great way to improve your overall fitness levels and it will keep your metabolism burning faster throughout the day. As well as boosting your metabolism, early morning runs will do wonders for your mood and sense of well being.

Eat more protein

Your body uses up much more energy digesting protein than either fat or carbohydrate and eating more protein will kick start your metabolism. Make sure you get plenty of lean meats, nuts, whey and dairy protein in your diet.

Never get too hungry

If you drop your calories too low then your body will enter starvation mode and drastically slow down your metabolism. This is the reason why very low calorie diets never work; you can’t cut calories indefinitely. The more you cut your calories, the more aggressively your body will hold on to it’s fat stores. Long term extreme reductions in your calorie intake are a very, very bad idea for anyone who wants to lose weight and keep it off. Eventually your body will just reach a stage where it will store even the smallest amount of food you give it as fat. You can’t outsmart your body so don’t try. Work with your body by feeding it small nutritious meals every three hours and you will find that your body will reward you with the toned, healthy physique you desire.

Follow these ten essential tips and you will speed up your metabolism.