Health and Fitness

 

How Exercise Boosts Your Metabolism?

 

Metabolism is a term that describes all the chemical reactions in your body that keep your body alive and functioning.

Your metabolism is also responsible for converting nutrients from the foods you eat into fuel. This provides your body with the energy it needs to breathe, move, digest food, circulate blood, and repair damaged tissues and cells. 

The higher your metabolic rate, the more calories you burn at rest. Many factors can affect your metabolism, including your age, diet, sex, body size, and health status.

There are several evidence-based strategies that can help increase your metabolism to support weight management and overall health.

Ways to increase your metabolism:

1. Eat plenty of protein at every meal

Eating food can temporarily increase your metabolism for a few hours.This is called the thermic effect of food (TEF). It’s caused by the extra calories required to digest, absorb, and process the nutrients in your meal.

Protein causes the largest rise in TEF. Dietary protein requires 20 to 30 percent of its usable energy to be expended for metabolism, compared to 5 to 10 percent for carbs and 0 to 3 percent for fats. 

Eating protein has also been shown to give you a greater sense of fullness and prevent you from overeating. 

Eating more protein can also reduce the drop in metabolism often associated with losing fat. This is because protein helps prevent muscle loss, which is a common side effect of dieting.

2. Drink more water

People who drink water instead of sugary drinks are often more successful at losing weight and keeping it off.  This is because sugary drinks contain calories, so replacing them with water automatically reduces your calorie intake. However, drinking water may also temporarily speed up your metabolism. 

Water can also help fill you up if you are looking to lose weight. Studies show that drinking water half an hour before you eat can help you eat less. Water can help you lose weight and keep it off. It temporarily increases your metabolism and helps fill you up before meals.

3. Do a high intensity workout

High intensity interval training (HIIT) involves quick and very intense bursts of activity. If this type of exercise is safe for you, it can help you burn more fat by increasing your metabolic rate, even after you’ve finished your workout. 

This effect is believed to be greater for HIIT than for other types of exercise. What’s more, HIIT has also been shown to help you burn fat. To get started, choose a modality, such as biking or running, that you are already familiar with. Mixing up your exercise routine and adding in a few high-intensity workouts can boost your metabolism and help you burn fat.

4. Lift heavy things

Muscle is more metabolically active than fat. Building muscle can help increase your metabolism to help you burn more calories each day, even at rest. Lifting weights can also help you retain muscle and counter the drop in metabolism that can occur during weight loss. 

Plus, according to one review of 58 studies, resistance training was significantly more effective at reducing body fat percentage, total body fat mass, and belly fat compared to a control group. Lifting weights can help build and retain muscle while reducing body fat. Higher amounts of muscle will result in a higher metabolism.

5. Stand up more

Sitting too much can have negative effects on your health. This is partly because long periods of sitting burns fewer calories and can lead to weight gain. However, stepping rather than standing resulted in greater improvements to lower systolic blood pressure and insulin resistance. 

If you have a desk job, try standing up for short periods to break up the length of time you spend sitting down. You can also try going for walks during the day or invest in a sanding desk. Sitting for a long time burns few calories and may negatively affect your health. Try standing up or taking walks regularly or investing in a standing desk.