Metabolism is how your body converts food into energy. A number of factors determine the speed of your current metabolism, but the good news is that it can be altered.
Top 10 Tips
1. Exercise
Your metabolism is bound to slow down as you age and strength training is a sure-fire way to reverse the effects. Pumping iron will result in more muscle in your body, and a higher muscle composition will mean that your body will work harder to conserve that muscle, i.e. burn more calories even when you are not at the gym.
In terms of cardio, high intensity interval training (HIIT) is your best option. HIIT involves varying your exertion levels, (e.g. 30 second sprint followed by 30 second walk, for 15 min). HIIT is specifically geared towards making your body work harder and expend more energy. A session of HIIT will have your body burning energy throughout the day!
2. Healthy Fats
Healthy fats go a long way in promoting over all health, (improved brain function, hea
rt function, joint health, lower cholesterol levels, etc). Omega-3 is a healthy fat that has effects specific to regulating metabolism. Studies have shown that consuming Omega-3’s increases leptin in your body. Leptin is a hormone associated with the rate at which your body consumes energy.
I take fish oil pills 3 times daily with breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
3. Ice Cold Water
Make it a daily habit to drink two glasses of ice cold water first thing in the morning. Your body will heat the cold water as it enters, and in the process boost your metabolism. The following video goes into further detail explaining how this works.
4. Green Tea Extract
Of course this had to be on the list! The benefits of green tea are endless. Along with its many antioxidant properties, green tea is also effective at thermogenesis (body’s production of heat). Green tea extract (GTE) is a highly concentrated form of the active ingredients in green tea, namely catechin. A typical dosage of GTE contains the same amount of catechin as 40oz of green tea (about 5 cups). There are many studies that have proven the benefits of green tea.
5. Sleep
A failure to get an adequate amount of sleep has been seen to be related with a slowed down metabolism. Make sure that you are getting your z’s! If you are interested in the relationship between sleep and metabolism, check out this particular study in the International Journal of Endocrinology.
6. Importance of Breakfast
There is no denying the importance of breakfast. Waking up to a nutritious breakfast is a good way to jumpstart your metabolism.
The National Weight Control Registry is a research study that keeps track of people that have successfully lost a significant amount of weight. They found that about 80% of the people that were able to keep the weight off over the long term ate breakfast everyday. (There are also a number of other interesting findings from that study. Check it out here).
Personally, I consume a high protein, high fat breakfast everyday (eggs and bacon). A study done at the University of Missouri concluded that a high protein breakfast controls your appetite and lowers your chances of unhealthy snacking throughout the day. Here is a link to the study.
7. Eating Habits
Aim to get about 6 meals a day. Spreading your meals throughout the day helps to maintain blood sugar levels, and keeps your metabolism at work. The amount of calories to consume largely depends on your goals, but the typical recommendation for a healthy adult is 2000 calories per day. So going by 2000 calories, you should aim to get 300 calories per meal leaving 200 calories for snacking in between.
8. Spice It Up
Eating spices heats up your body temperature. In the process of returning to homeostasis (normal temperatures), your body burns calories. Capsinoids (naturally occurring in most chilli peppers) are the ingredient largely responsible for raising your body’s temperature.
I like to spice up my meals with some cayenne pepper powder, I sprinkle it on top of everything. I feel it adds an extra kick and, hey, it also boosts the metabolism!
9. Don’t Starve
Of the people first starting off with weight loss, many understand that they have to consume less than they burn. But, some take it to another level by not eating at all for long periods of time. This is the worst thing you can do for your metabolism. When you don’t eat for extended periods of time, your body goes into starvation mode thinking that your food supply has become limited. In starvation mode your body prefers to burn muscle instead of fat for energy, and really slows down your metabolism.
10. Consume Iron
If your body lacks iron you are likely to experience tiredness, decreased appetite, and a slowed metabolism. Iron is associated with transporting oxygen throughout your body, and with inadequate amounts you are bound to be functioning below prime levels.
Iron is present in a variety of foods. I like to get my iron from lentils. Other foods rich in iron include meat, seafood, and beans.
Final Words
There you have it folks, the top 10 natural ways to boost metabolism. These habits promote a healthier lifestyle, and I urge you to incorporate them into your everyday lives!
I hope my post was helpful, and that it taught you something you did not know before. If you have any questions please comment below and I will be sure to get back to you!
Wow, I didn’t know that sleeping could boost your metabolism! That’s one place where I definitely fail. I’ve heard about spices though. I know a guy on YouTube that swears by using cinnamon to lose fat. He’s a body builder and goes through ‘bulking’ and ‘cutting’ phases.
There have been many claims on cinnamon boosting metabolism, but not enough conclusive evidence to see a causation as yet. I usually add a pinch of cinnamon to my green tea because I like the taste.
I recently saw a video where a guy explains that “bulking” and “cutting” phases are not necessary, and that gaining muscle while losing fat is possible. You should definitely check out the vid https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTkMNrBusgQ. He’s got many other valuable vids as well.
hi Adam
wonderful information in your post. I recently started a more regular job and I have then put in a place a more regular sleep schedule. And I find it way beneficial. I feel better, have less digestive issues. And I am not as hungry as before. However, because I am super busy throughout the day, I sometimes miss lunch, an habit I have to break. But by getting up early, working out before work, I am ready for my day and my body continues to burn energy throughout the day.
I have always heard breakfast is the most important meal, yet I continue to skip it. I know this is not good,because I eat more later in the day. I would love to be able to break up my meals to smaller meals – 6 daily- but, of course I have a problem with “portion control”
I love the information you have provided – I am going to start off drinking water in the morning. I have to take baby steps!
Taking baby steps is a great idea. When you set out to change a bunch of habits at the same time, you get overwhelmed and it usually barely works out. Best thing to do is change one habit at a time.
About drinking ice cold water early in hone morning, that is the first time I heard about it. I am hesitant to try it out as I am a warm coffee drinker in the mornings, but I guess there is no harm in trying it out.
If you drink a glass of cold water followed by a warm coffee, your metabolism will boost twice since caffeine is also seen to be effective at that.
Hi Adam,
Your article is very thorough and full of good information. I have a very slow metabolism and never thought of it as being more efficient. Actually I thought it was messed up that I didn’t need to eat as much as others and got full faster. Nice to know. Thanks.
A slow metabolism is “efficient” when looking at it from the point of view of our hunter gatherer ancestors who didn’t know where their next meal was coming from.
The reason you have a slow metabolism is because of your eating habits. If you follow some of the habits as listed above you will definitely be well on your way to a faster metabolism.
some really great tips here. I have heard that you should see your doctor before taking extra iron is that true?
Iron is naturally occurring in a lot of the food we eat. Overdosing on iron is pretty much unheard off. If you are experiencing symptoms that are associated with a lack of iron like headaches, nausea, and fatigue then you should consult a doctor and see if these symptoms area actually because of a lack of iron.
I had no idea that spices & ice cold water could help boost metabolism! I know a lot of people that struggle getting enough exercise, consistent sleep, and eating breakfast, but these 2 other ways of boosting metabolism should be very easy to implement into one’s everyday life.
Once you get good at building those little habits, you develop the willpower to go further!
I too am a little surprised to hear about the cold water bit in the morning. Being a person accustomed to drinking warm beverages first thing I would think it would hit my stomach like a “rock”.
Well, I’m sure it’s worth trying out, but gradually, will see.
Great post.
Ty
Like anything, it takes a bit of getting used to. If you have never done it before then it will be uncomfortable in the beginning.
Hello great article, I will start with the water first thing in the morning, I exercise a lot and this would help a bunch to get the results I want
If you want results you must set definable and specific goals. These tips are definitely a good starting point!
This is good article on metabolism, esp for people who are not familiar with it. It’s a nice refresher course even for someone like me even though I follow nearly every rules stated here. I use cinnamon in my breakfast and drink green tea daily. Drinking cold water first thing in morning is what I do because it also helps flushes out toxins that remained in my body overnight. Thanks for sharing.
Good to see that you are on the right track!
Thanks for the natural ways to boost metabolism! It’s difficult to stay healthy nowadays, and this information is very important to understand. I’m currently working to have better habits which will hopefully build muscle and increase metabolism! I very much enjoyed the read!
My metabolism is super fast, I never seem to gain weight. I would always eat. Then I discovered that was the problem. So now I make big meals and go without snacking for longer periods of time. If I do snack, it’s right after my lunch and that’s all.
You have the problem that we all wish we had, lol. The thing with a fast metabolism is that you will just have to consume way more calories to gain weight. I had a friend who couldn’t for the life of him gain weight. He was on a 3000 calorie diet and barely gained a pound per two weeks.
This is full of great info. I really need to do a better job at eating breakfast, this was very helpful overall.
Glad that this article helped you out.
I only drink ice cold water. I can’t stand room temperature water. It was only later that I discovered it’s great for your metabolism. That’s just a bonus.
I do the high intensity workout for 20 min. twice a week and it works good for me! Green Tea is excellent for toothaches too, takes the pain away fast! Ever heard of Dr.Joseph Mercola ? He advises along these same lines! Thanks for the great info!
I have never heard of green tea easing toothache, that is interesting. I have never heard of Dr. Mercola, but I am just about to do a google search!
I really l appreciate you giving these helpful tips and products that work like Green Tea
This was a good read! I didn’t realise how important Iron was until now, that could be why I often feel tired…
Looks like I’ll have to try the cold water tip tomorrow morning. I try not to skip breakfast, but sometimes it feels like my stomach will toss back anything I try to put into it! And since it seems like my stomach has gotten smaller, six small meals throughout the day will probably be the best option for me.