Metabolism is a word that explains all the chemical reactions in our body; these keep our body alive and operating.
However, the word metabolism is often used correspondently with the metabolic rate or the number of calories you burn.
So a metabolism is a rate at which our body burns calories for energy.
The higher the metabolic rate, the easier it is to burn calories, lose weight, and keep it off.
Having a high metabolism can also make you feel more Active and Energetic.
Here are 11 Ways to Speed Up Your Metabolism.
1. Eat More Protein
This may sound crazy, but eating food can increase your metabolism for a few hours.
It’s caused by the additional calories required to digest, absorb and process the nutrients in your meal. This process is called the thermic effect of eating (TEF)
Studies have shown that protein causes the most significant rise in TEF by increasing your metabolic rate by 15-30% compared to fats and carbohydrates. (1)
Eating protein has also been shown to help you feel full and prevent you from overeating. (2)
2. Do Resistance Training
Strength training helps build muscle and may boost metabolism.
Research suggests that muscle is more metabolically active than fat, and building muscle can help increase your metabolism, which means you will burn more calories each day, even at rest.
Lifting heavy weights will also help you maintain muscle and combat the decrease in metabolism during weight loss.
3. Drink More Water
Staying hydrated is vital for the body to perform at its best.
People who drink water instead of sugary beverages are more successful at losing weight.
This is because sugary drinks contain too many calories, and replacing them with just plain old water automatically reduces your calorie intake.
Researches have shown that drinking 17 ounces (0.5 liters) of water may also temporarily speed up your metabolism by 10–30% for about an hour.
Drinking cold water can be even more helpful as your body uses energy to heat it up to body temperature, making you lose a few extra calories compared to drinking room temperature water.
4. Do a High-Intensity Workout
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is the best way to shed pounds, boost your metabolism, and improve insulin sensitivity.
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) requires quick and very intense bursts of activity.
It can help you burn more fat by boosting your metabolic rate, even after your workout has finished.
One research in overweight young men found that 12 weeks of high-intensity training reduced fat mass by 4.4 pounds (2 kg) and belly fat by 17%.
5. Eat at regular times
Eating at regular times may help control metabolic balance.
Otherwise, if a person eats a lot, then goes for long periods without consuming any meals, the body may burn calories more slowly and store more fat cells.
But eating at regular times, a person can reduce this tendency.
Ideally, a person should eat small meals or snacks every 2-3 hours.
6. Drink Green Tea
Various studies indicate that green tea extract may play a role in increasing metabolism.
Green tea can be an excellent alternative to sugary beverages.
Low in calories, drinking green tea may be suitable for both weight loss and weight maintenance.
7. Eat Spicy Foods
Spicy foods have natural chemicals that can kick your metabolism into a higher gear.
Peppers contain capsaicin, a substance that can raise your metabolism and help burn a few extra calories.
One research of capsaicin foretold that eating peppers would burn around 10 extra calories per meal.
8. Get a Good Night’s Sleep
Lack of sleep is linked to a significant increase in the risk of obesity.
A study in Finland looked at sets of identical twins and discovered that the twin who slept less had more visceral fat in each set of siblings.
This may slightly be caused by the adverse effects of sleep deprivation on metabolism.
Not getting enough sleep has also been shown to boost the hunger hormone ghrelin and decrease the fullness hormone leptin.
So try to get a minimum of 7 hours of sleep each night.
9. Drink Coffee
Coffee is one of the best beverages for weight loss because it boosts your metabolism.
Studies have shown that caffeine in coffee can raise metabolism by 3–11%. Like green tea, it also promotes fat burning.
Coffee’s effects on metabolism and fat burning may also contribute to successful weight loss and maintenance.
10. Get enough vitamin D
Vitamin D plays an essential role in the metabolic rate. It’s essential for preserving metabolism-revving muscle tissues.
Vitamin D is in many foods, including:
- Eggs
- Milk
- Red Meat
- Oily Fish
- Liver
- Fortified Breakfast Cereals
- Mushrooms
11. Replace Cooking Fats With Coconut Oil
Unlike other saturated fats, coconut oil is moderately high in medium-chain fats.
Medium-chain fats can raise your metabolism more than the long-chain fats found in foods like butter.
One study found that medium-chain fats boosted metabolism by 12% compared to long-chain fats, which raised it by just 4%.
Because of the unique fatty acid profile of coconut oil, using it instead of other cooking fats may aid in significant weight loss.