While some people tend to be effortlessly thin irrespective of how much they eat, many others seem to put on weight merely by looking at high-calorie food.
The former are told to thank their metabolism, while the latter are advised to do everything possible to boost their metabolism.
The word ‘metabolism’ is frequently used when it comes to fitness, food intake, and weight loss.
A common myth is that you inherit your metabolic rate, and there is nothing you can do to boost it.
Even if your metabolism doesn’t work very fast, there are some things you can do to boost your metabolism naturally.
What Is Metabolism?
Before you learn how to boost your metabolic rate, it is essential to know precisely what metabolism entails.
Your metabolic rate refers to the number of calories you burn on a daily basis. Exercise is not the only way for you to use up energy.
Everything you do, all of the processes of your body, both voluntary and involuntary, add up the number of calories you burn.
So your metabolic rate consists of your BMR or basal metabolic rate, the energy expended during exercise, and extra energy spent in non-exercise pursuits.
In general, exercise accounts for just about 10% of your metabolism.
Non-exercise energy usage accounts for another 20%, which includes all activities that use some energy such as walking, standing, and fidgeting.
Your BMR accounts for 70% of your metabolism and is made of all calories that your body uses to keep you alive. Therefore, energy used for digestion, for the functioning of organs, etc.
Irrespective of how much you exercise, you can only affect 10% of your metabolism.
If you would like to boost your metabolism naturally, you have to get BMR up. While this may not be easy to do, here are some natural ways to boost your metabolism – backed by science.
Eat More Proteins
Some food items require more energy during the digestive process as compared to others.
About 10% of the calories contained in carbohydrates are used during digestion. Digesting fats uses up an even lesser amount of energy.
Meanwhile, digesting proteins uses up 30% of the calories consumed which makes proteins the best option to maximize your BMR.
Eating a protein-rich diet also helps keep you full for longer, so you do not overeat.
See also: 10 Fat Burning Foods
Opt For HIIT Over Cardio Exercises
As compared to other types of activities, HIIT or high-intensity interval training is found to be far more effective if your goal is to burn fat.
HIIT is also useful in increasing your metabolic rate long after your exercise routine is over. HIIT is known for its immense potential to burn maximum calories.
This form of interval training involves alternating short bursts of intensive activity with shorter interval periods.
Most sessions of HIIT last just 30 minutes or so. The objective is to get your heart rate up and keep it on that level.
HIIT triggers a process called EPOC or Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption by increasing your body’s requirement for oxygen.
This process lasts 36 hours after your workout, so you keep burning calories and enjoy the benefits of a higher metabolic rate.
See also: Best Cardio Workouts For Abs
Drink Cold Water
Keeping yourself hydrated is a sure-shot way to a healthier you. But it also has a positive effect on your metabolic rate. Instead of beverages that are stuffed with sugar, choose to drink water.
Not only does this automatically reduce the number of calories you consume, but it also has been shown to boost your metabolic rate by 20-30% for the next 60 minutes.
Drinking cold water instead of room temperature water is even better as your body needs to work extra hard to heat the consumed liquid to body temperature.
Drinking up also acts as a natural appetite suppressant.
See also: How Much Water Should You Drink Every Day
Drink Green Tea Or Coffee
You can take your pick between oolong and green tea as both have been shown to kick up our metabolic rate by about 4-5%.
As these teas are low in calories when taken without processed sugar, they aid in weight loss and maintenance of healthy weight.
Furthermore, by converting the fat deposits in your body into free fatty acids, these teas help increase the amount of fat burned by 10-15%.
If coffee is your favorite beverage, you are in luck. Research shows that caffeine boost metabolism by as much as 11% while also causing 10-30% of extra fat burning.
Eat Spicy Foods
If you have a tolerance for it, spicy food containing peppers can be your allies. Peppers are abundant in a metabolism-boosting substance called capsaicin.
While the effects of capsaicin are not miraculous, they lend themselves to long-term weight loss and increased metabolic rate.
Boost Your Metabolism Naturally Today
There is no quick-fix to boost your metabolic rates, but these are a few things you can do to help the process along in an all-natural way.
Make these minor modifications to your daily diet, do your HIIT exercises, and have a relaxing night’s sleep to reduce stress levels.
The trick is to eat a balanced diet instead of eating too little, to help you consider adding a dietary supplement that controls your appetite your diet.
As your body adapts to eating less, your BMR will automatically decrease.
Stop counting every calorie you consume, and focus on incorporating these straightforward and natural tricks into your daily routine.
You will find your metabolism is working faster and your body efficiently burning more calories in no time.
