Boosting your metabolism is the holy grail of all “Healthy” and “Fit” influencers. However, the speed at which your body burns calories depends on a number of factors. Some people inherit a faster metabolism than others. In addition, men tend to burn more calories than women, even at rest. For most people, the metabolism slows down around the age of forty.
Focus on metabolism
The term ‘metabolism’ refers to the rate at which your body uses and consumes calories. Factors that play a role in metabolism are age, gender, muscle strength daily activities and habits such as coffee drinking and smoking. If you consume more calories each day than you expend, you will automatically gain weight. And vice versa.
Basal metabolic rate
The basal metabolic rate, also known as BMR, is the amount of energythe amount of calories your body burns each day at rest. In short, it is the number of calories your body needs to continue functioning normally at rest.
How to boost your metabolism?
To increase your metabolic rate, you need to eat. When trying to increase your metabolism, you need to consider the frequency and quality of the food you eat. Have a king’s breakfast. The first meal of the day should be the one with the most calories, as you have all day to metabolise them. Eat 4-6 small meals a day to ensure that your metabolic rate does not drop. When the body recognises that it is hungry, it decreases its metabolic activity.
By feeding your body every three hours, you ensure that your metabolism is always functioning optimally. Eat foods rich in fibre. Your body works much harder to digest fibre. It also helps you feel fuller for longer and reducescalorie intake at future meals. Drink adequate amounts of water. In fact, we need water to optimise our metabolism. Cold water can trigger a small metabolic surge, as the body consumes more calories to bring the water to body temperature.
The importance of exercise
Even if it is only a little, daily exercise will keep your metabolism up. Exercising at a moderate intensity can be the best way to boost your metabolism. Also, you don’t have to go to the gym if you dance, walk or even run. You can easily incorporate this type of physical activity into your daily life. You can do cardio exercises in the morning and evening. But make sure that each workout lasts an average of 20 minutes. This way, you will get a metabolic boost in the morning and evening.
Your muscle mass has a direct influence on your metabolic rate. Because muscles are active, they need calories. And this is true even when you are at rest. Muscle fibres need a lot of energy. They even consume up to five times more calories than fat mass. The larger your muscle mass, the more calories you need. Add protein to your diet. Besides feeding your muscles, protein is less easily digested and consumes more calories.
Green tea – a real metabolism booster
Studies show that drinking green tea boosts your metabolism. When you drink green tea, some of the fat stored in the body is converted into free fatty acids. In fact, there is a increased fat burning when the person consumes a physical activity at the same time.
Because of their low calorie content, these teas can be useful for both weight loss and weight maintenance.
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7539343/
https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/12/3671/htm
