A person’s metabolism can be effected by many different things. One major reason for someone’s metabolism to slow down is due to yo-yo dieting – or when someone goes back and forth between watching their calorie intake and not caring what they eat at all.
Below are 14 sure ways to fire up your metabolism and get back on track with your diet!
14 Ways to Fire Up a Failing Metabolism
1. Drink Lots of Water
Water is one of the best things that we can give our body. Not only does staying properly hydrated curb cravings and keep your stomach full, but it also keeps your metabolism running well. A dehydrated body starts to lose proper functions, one of which being metabolism.
Keep your metabolism firing by drinking a glass or two of water before each meal or snack as well as throughout the day.
2. Get 8 Hours of Sleep
Not getting enough sleep doesn’t just make you cranky and irritable – it also negatively impacts cognitive function and your metabolism. Though getting at least 8 hours of sleep at night may seem like a job in and of itself, the benefits of proper rest are worth it.
Sleep is the body’s time to recover and recuperate from the day and limiting that time can have many adverse effects on the body and its primary functions.
3. Sip Green Tea
Green tea has long been touted for its antioxidant activity and ability to ward and fight off cancer, but it’s the effect it has on our metabolism that has us interested. Studies have shown that those who sip green tea regularly have higher metabolic rates, thus a faster metabolism.
Swap out your mid-day latte for green tea and not only save on calories and sugar but also get an antioxidant boost as well as a metabolism boost
4. Add Some Spice to Your Meals
Spicy foods such as peppers contain capsaicin, a compound that is known to spike the metabolism for a few hours post consumption. Enjoy peppers daily with your meals or include spices such as turmeric and cayenne pepper in your cooking to get an additional metabolism boost.
Cayenne pepper in particular is one of the best choices as it aids in digestion, increases energy levels and contains high levels of vitamin A and vitamin C.
5. Eat Small Meals Often
Eating smaller meals more frequently instead of larger meals just three times a day is a great way to keep your metabolism running at its best. Eating more often not only prevents those mid-afternoon energy dips and cravings but it also keeps your digestion system running.
When your body is processing food and digesting, its metabolism is increased, so encouraging the body to digest almost all day long will keep the metabolism working as well.
6. Stop The Yo-Yo Diets
Yo-yo dieting is one of the worst things that we can do to our metabolisms. After so much back and forth between binging and cutting calories the body eventually gives in, slowing down the metabolism in order to conserve energy and fuel for when the inevitable calorie cut comes again.
Keeping a steady and consistent diet is not only the healthiest way to lose weight but it is also the best way to keep the metabolism functioning at its best.
7. Try Interval Training
Interval training is far more effective at boosting the metabolism than steady state cardio is. Workouts that are done at the same pace may get your heart rate up, but the level never changes. Once the workout ends, so does the calorie burn.
Interval training, on the other hand, is bursts of high intensity followed by periods of lower intensity or rest. This type of training not only keeps your heart rate up and ramps up your metabolism but it also keeps your metabolism working for hours after the workout is complete.
8. Eat A Healthy Breakfast
One of the best things that you can do for your health as well as your metabolism is to eat a big, healthy breakfast. Breakfast is the meal that sets the tone for the rest of the day and without it our metabolism never gets the kick start it needs after being dormant all night long. Start the day off right with a healthy breakfast and get your metabolism firing first thing!
9. Move More During The Day
Sometimes being stationary for long periods of time is inevitable, especially if you have a desk job. Just because you are stuck at a desk all day doesn’t mean that you don’t get breaks though! Once an hour try to move around – whether it be walking to refill your water cup or heading over to a friend’s desk for a quick chat. The metabolism naturally slows down when the body does, so keep it moving as much as you can throughout the day.
10. Add Coconut Oil To Your Diet
Coconut oil is one of our favorite superfoods for so many reasons. Beyond the incredible nutritional benefits, coconut oil also has a positive effect on the metabolism. Coconut oil is made up of medium chain fatty acids that tend to have a thermic effect, which means that the body is required to expend more energy to digest them.
This extra energy that is required also kicks the metabolism into gear, thus burning more calories. Add coconut oil to baked goods and use in place of other oils to incorporate it into your diet. You can also try blending it into coffee for a delicious, fat-burning latte!
11. Skip The Alcohol
Alcohol is a major no-no when it comes to firing up the metabolism. Not only does alcohol add unwanted empty calories but it inhibits fat burning hormones, which means the second you take a drink you are halting your metabolism.
12. Increase Your Fiber
Fiber is your metabolism’s best friend. Filling and satisfying, foods that are high in fiber help to ward off hunger, keep cravings at bay and keep you feeling satisfied for hours. Fiber is also slow to digest, which means that the body has to work longer and harder, thus keeping the metabolism firing.
13. Try to Relax More
Stress doesn’t just keep you up at night, it also negatively impacts your metabolism. Stress increases the secretion of cortisol, a stress hormone that when chronically elevated can cause reduced immune system function, raised blood pressure and cholesterol as well as weight gain.
If life is leaving you strung out and stressed, try to take time out for yourself each day to relax. Take a bath, get a massage or meditate – whatever it takes to relax!
14. Bump Up Your Protein Intake
When you are looking to speed up your metabolism, one sure way is to increase your protein intake. Similar to the fats in coconut oil, protein has a high thermic effect – higher than carbohydrates and most other dietary fats.
Almost 20-35 percent of the calories from protein are burned off during the digestion process while only 5-15 percent is burned off with carbohydrates and even less for fats. Protein is also great for appetite suppression.
So if your metabolism is failing you, give it a kick start with the above tips and tricks and get back to burning unwanted fat and calories.
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