7 Effective Ways to Boost Your Metabolism

Whenever you eat or drink anything, you can thank your metabolism for converting those delicious calories into the energy that you can use to get through the day. Your age, gender, and size will all factor into just how effective your metabolic rate is but there are things that you can do to have an impact on its speed. After all, the faster your metabolism is ? the more calories you’ll burn off ? making that extra beer less of a problem.

Men generally burn more calories than women, even when resting, and for most people, the metabolism will begin to slow steadily after you hit the age of 40. Though you can’t do anything to turn back the hands of time, or alter your genetics, there are other things you can try that might kick start your metabolism for you.

1. Build Muscles

Your body is constantly burning calories even when you think you’re sat around doing nothing. Hey, it takes calories to run that big brain of yours!

This resting metabolic rate is generally a lot higher in people who have a bit of muscle, and every pound of muscle uses up about six calories every day just in sustaining itself. That small amount of difference may not seem like much ? but it definitely adds up over a time. After enjoying a session of strength training, muscles will activate across your body, raising your metabolic rate on a daily basis.

2. Rev Up the Aerobics

Aerobic exercises aren’t going to do much when it comes to building your muscles but they can enhance your metabolism after a workout. The main key here is to push yourself as much as possible, as high-intensity exercise delivers a longer, greater rise in resting metabolic rate. To soak up the benefits, try visiting a more intense class at the gym, or place small bursts of jogging throughout your regular walk.

You can always go play some 2 on 2 or 3 on 3 basketball, for example, if that is an option.

3. Fuel Your Body with Water

To process calories, your body needs water. Even if you’re just a little dehydrated, your metabolism will start to slow down. In a study, adults drinking eight or more glasses of water each day were found to burn more calories than those drinking four. Try to glug down a glass of water before every snack or meal, and make sure that you snack on vegetables and fruits whenever possible which are packed with natural water too!

4. Grab Some Omega 3

Omega 3 helps to reduce inflammation and amp up the blood sugar ? thereby regulating your metabolism. They can reduce the resistance you naturally have to the leptin hormone which researchers have connected to the speed at which fat burns. A study on rats found that the rodents eating large amounts of fish oil during exercise lost weight much faster.

5. Enjoy some Green Tea

For years now, green tea has been championed for its antioxidant properties?but new evidence suggests that an active ingredient known as catechin could help to crank up your metabolism too! Researchers studying dieters found that those who chose to go green lost far more weight than those who didn’t, suggesting that catechins may improve thermogenesis and fat oxidation. According to one study ? drinking five cups of green tea a day increases your energy expenditure by about 90 calories.

6. Spice Things Up

Foods packed with natural spice have an abundance of chemicals that are capable of kicking your metabolism straight into high gear. Cooking your foods with a tablespoon of green or red chili pepper can help to boost your metabolic rate significantly. Though the effect is only temporary, if you eat spicy foods often enough you’ll be bound to find that the benefits add up. For an awesome boost, spice up your stews, chili’s, and pasta dishes with red pepper flakes.

7. Go Organic

If you’re unsure about whether going organic is the right next step for you, the following information may be the push that you’ve been looking for. Vegetables, fruits, and grains that have been grown without the use of pesticides help to keep your metabolism running at full-pelt because they’re not dumping toxins on your thyroid. On the other hand, nonorganic produce blocks up your metabolism by interfering with your thyroid ? which determines how fast your body runs.

Any fruit is better than nothing though. Not everyone has the extra money to spend on specialized or organic fruit and not everyone has the space and time to grown their own garden. Something to think about!