Best Ways To Increase Metabolism.

 

We've all heard that our metabolism slows as we age but that isn't quite true. Sometimes it is not that our metabolism is slowing due to age but that we no longer do the same activities we did when we were younger.  In fact, there are studies that show metabolism does not really start slowing until we reach the age of 60.

Earlier this year, I discovered I'd gained several pounds in a rather short period of time.  The doctor didn't seem too concerned but I was since I knew that gaining wait could lead to certain health issues.  So I took time to sit down and realize that I was not exercising as much and eating more.  I immediately looked for ways to increase my metabolism. The above mentioned study indicates that the best step to take to have a good metabolism is to have a lean body mass.

Metabolism is defined as the amount of energy your body burns in calories. If you eat more calories than your body uses, your metabolism will seem slower but if your body uses more calories than it consumes, your metabolism will seem faster.

When you talk about metabolism, you are referring to one of three things.  The first is the basal metabolic rate which refers to the rate your body burns calories when you are at rest. Second looks at how fast your body burn calories when it is digesting the food you eat.  The third focuses on how many calories are burned when you move around. Although some of it is controlled by genetics, there are choices a person can make to help improve their metabolism.

One step you can take is to eat more protein since it takes more calories to burn a gram of protein as compared to a gram of carbohydrates. So if you replace some of the carbohydrates with protein, your body will use more calories when it is a rest.  A study showed that people whose diet contained about one third protein tended to burn over 200 calories more each day while at rest than people whose died was composed of about 11 percent protein.

Another is to exercise more.  It is important to choose exercises that build muscles since increasing the amount of muscle also increases the amount of calories burned. Don't forget to  improve your cardio health at the same time.  As for gaining muscle, think about lifting weights, using resistance bands, or other forms of resistance training. Think about adding High Intensity Interval Training or HIIT to help increase your metabolism. The nice thing about HIIT training is that it helps to build muscle while increasing the amount of energy your body burns. In addition, it helps your body keep burning muscles for up to one day after doing it.

Eliminate sugared drinks from your diet and replace with cold water.  The cold water requires your body to burn calories to raise its internal temperature.  There are people out there who tell you to drink more coffee or green tea because they supposedly increase your metabolism but it appears this is not true based on several studies.

Finally, make sure you get enough sleep every single night.  When you don't get enough sleep, your body tends to demand you eat more calories so it is strongly recommended that you get 7 to 8 hours every night.

The best way to help your metabolism is to eat a healthy diet without over indulging. It doesn't matter how how many things you do to improve your metabolism if you are eating all the wrong things or eating too many calories.  The three biggest things you can do is to sleep more, exercise more, and eat better.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.