9 Ways To Super-Charge Your Metabolism
Yes, it's true, as we get older weight gain begins to creep up on us.
That's really a scary thought! The shift of weight gain actually begins in our 20's-30's.
Starting in our mid 20's, a person's metabolism declines approximately 5 % every decade! Again, scary! Also, your metabolism slows down naturally between 2 to 7 percent per decade after age 40, but lucky for you here are some things you can do to fight back! There are in place simple,natural and PROVEN ways to triumph over this battle at any age.
The KEY to lasting and immediate benefits is EXERCISE! *Strength Training/Muscle Building- Weight lifting and other strengthening activities such as crunches or push ups on a regular basis of 2 to 4 times a week will boost your resting metabolism rate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! Make it work for you! This is mainly because these activities build muscle, and we all know muscle burns more calories than body fat and also weighs more than fat.
When you have more stronger muscles, you burn more calores, even when sitting! Engaging in cardio activity 4 to 5 days a week: Aerobic activities such as crosstraining, tennis, running, swimming and bike riding will burn calories and increase metabolism while your working out and continue's burning calories for approximately a couple hours after your session.
Studies show that cardio/aerobic activity causes a metabolic spike for a few hours after exercising, so , not only are you burning those calories during the cardio session, you'll also burn a few extra hundred calories after your done! SLEEP: A study at the university of westminster indicated that loss of sleep affects the way we metabolize carbohydrates, resulting in glucose intolerance and possibly leading to increased hunger and slowed metabolism.
Lack of proper sleep will also interfere with your energy levels throughout the day and cause you to skip exercise because of fatigue.
As hard as it may be, it would be in your best interest to optimize your sleep routine.
TO KEEP YOUR METABOLISM REVVED UP THROUGHOUT THE DAY, YOUR DIET ALSO COUNTS: EAT AT LEAST 1200 CALORIES/DAY: Your body and your metabolism both thrive on food, so avoid crash-diets, fasting or restricting any calorie amount below 1200 calories daily, as this will only slow downyour metabolism in response to the conserved energy stores.
EAT SMALL MEALS, EVERY 4 TO 5 HOURS: Your body works hard to digest and absorb the food you eat throughout the day and , your metabolism will work in response to this.
This is called the thermogetic effect of food.
It's the way in which your body processes food.
It's give and take.
This is why large meals will only make you feel fatigued,since your metabolism cannot process such large quantities of food.
Taking full advantage of smaller, scheduled meals every 4 to 5 hours will ensure your metabolism is in tune and working efficiently.
ADD LEAN PROTEIN TO EVERY MEAL: It's well known that the consumption of protein has the greatest metabolic boost, as compared to fats and carbohydrates.
Consuming appropriate amounts of protein will ensure your abilities to build and maintain muscle mass , which is great, since the more muscle mass you have , the more metabolism you'll have also.
So, how much protein do you really need? The best current guidelines recommend 50% of your body weight, so , if you weigh 150 pounds, then you'll need 75 grams of protein daily.
Best sources of protein include: Chicken, fish,turkey, skim milk, cheese, eggs,tofu, beans, lean meats, yogurt, etc.
DECREASE ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION: You may not know it, but all that boozin' is actually killing your metabolism.
Alcohol suppresses your body's ability to burn fat.
Studies have proven that when you drink alcohol, your body will burn fat more slowly than usual.
This doesn't mean you have to quit drinking alcohol altogether, simply cut out any bad, unnecessary drinking habits.
DRINK GREEN TEA!: Studies show that Green Tea appears to raise metabolic rates and speeds up oxidation of fat.
What does this mean? Well drinking 2-4 cups of Green Tea daily will burn up to 70 calories/day.
Green Tea also has other significant health benefits, therefore you might as well add a little boost to your metabolism while protecting yourself from cancer,heart conditions ,etc.
ADDING CALCIUM TO YOUR DIET: Studies also show that eating 3-4 daily servings of low-fat dairy products can help adjust your body's fat burning mechanisms.
The more calcium in the cells of the body resulted in an increase in metabolism of fat.
You can rev up your metabolism even further by adding a calcium supplement to your diet.
That's really a scary thought! The shift of weight gain actually begins in our 20's-30's.
Starting in our mid 20's, a person's metabolism declines approximately 5 % every decade! Again, scary! Also, your metabolism slows down naturally between 2 to 7 percent per decade after age 40, but lucky for you here are some things you can do to fight back! There are in place simple,natural and PROVEN ways to triumph over this battle at any age.
The KEY to lasting and immediate benefits is EXERCISE! *Strength Training/Muscle Building- Weight lifting and other strengthening activities such as crunches or push ups on a regular basis of 2 to 4 times a week will boost your resting metabolism rate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! Make it work for you! This is mainly because these activities build muscle, and we all know muscle burns more calories than body fat and also weighs more than fat.
When you have more stronger muscles, you burn more calores, even when sitting! Engaging in cardio activity 4 to 5 days a week: Aerobic activities such as crosstraining, tennis, running, swimming and bike riding will burn calories and increase metabolism while your working out and continue's burning calories for approximately a couple hours after your session.
Studies show that cardio/aerobic activity causes a metabolic spike for a few hours after exercising, so , not only are you burning those calories during the cardio session, you'll also burn a few extra hundred calories after your done! SLEEP: A study at the university of westminster indicated that loss of sleep affects the way we metabolize carbohydrates, resulting in glucose intolerance and possibly leading to increased hunger and slowed metabolism.
Lack of proper sleep will also interfere with your energy levels throughout the day and cause you to skip exercise because of fatigue.
As hard as it may be, it would be in your best interest to optimize your sleep routine.
TO KEEP YOUR METABOLISM REVVED UP THROUGHOUT THE DAY, YOUR DIET ALSO COUNTS: EAT AT LEAST 1200 CALORIES/DAY: Your body and your metabolism both thrive on food, so avoid crash-diets, fasting or restricting any calorie amount below 1200 calories daily, as this will only slow downyour metabolism in response to the conserved energy stores.
EAT SMALL MEALS, EVERY 4 TO 5 HOURS: Your body works hard to digest and absorb the food you eat throughout the day and , your metabolism will work in response to this.
This is called the thermogetic effect of food.
It's the way in which your body processes food.
It's give and take.
This is why large meals will only make you feel fatigued,since your metabolism cannot process such large quantities of food.
Taking full advantage of smaller, scheduled meals every 4 to 5 hours will ensure your metabolism is in tune and working efficiently.
ADD LEAN PROTEIN TO EVERY MEAL: It's well known that the consumption of protein has the greatest metabolic boost, as compared to fats and carbohydrates.
Consuming appropriate amounts of protein will ensure your abilities to build and maintain muscle mass , which is great, since the more muscle mass you have , the more metabolism you'll have also.
So, how much protein do you really need? The best current guidelines recommend 50% of your body weight, so , if you weigh 150 pounds, then you'll need 75 grams of protein daily.
Best sources of protein include: Chicken, fish,turkey, skim milk, cheese, eggs,tofu, beans, lean meats, yogurt, etc.
DECREASE ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION: You may not know it, but all that boozin' is actually killing your metabolism.
Alcohol suppresses your body's ability to burn fat.
Studies have proven that when you drink alcohol, your body will burn fat more slowly than usual.
This doesn't mean you have to quit drinking alcohol altogether, simply cut out any bad, unnecessary drinking habits.
DRINK GREEN TEA!: Studies show that Green Tea appears to raise metabolic rates and speeds up oxidation of fat.
What does this mean? Well drinking 2-4 cups of Green Tea daily will burn up to 70 calories/day.
Green Tea also has other significant health benefits, therefore you might as well add a little boost to your metabolism while protecting yourself from cancer,heart conditions ,etc.
ADDING CALCIUM TO YOUR DIET: Studies also show that eating 3-4 daily servings of low-fat dairy products can help adjust your body's fat burning mechanisms.
The more calcium in the cells of the body resulted in an increase in metabolism of fat.
You can rev up your metabolism even further by adding a calcium supplement to your diet.