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22 Health & Food
PROVEN WAYS TO BOOST YOUR METABOLISM
Metabolism is the term for all the chemical reactions
in your body. These chemical reactions keep your
body alive and functioning. However, the word
metabolism is often used interchangeably with
metabolic rate, or the amount of calories you burn. to heat it up to body temperature. Studies show that
drinking water a half an hour before you eat can help
you eat less. One study of overweight adults found that
those who drank half a litre of water before their meals
lost 44% more weight than those who didn’t.
The higher your metabolism, the more calories you
burn and the easier it is to lose weight and keep it
off. Having a high metabolism can also increase your
energy levels. By making small lifestyle changes using
these 10 tips you can increase your metabolism and
make yourself healthier. Bottom Line: Water can help you lose weight and keep
it off. It increases your metabolism and helps fill you up
before meals.
1. Eat Protein at Every Meal
Eating food can 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. Of all the food
groups, protein is best for boosting your metabolism. It
increases your metabolic rate by 15–30%, compared to
5–10% for carbs and 0–3% for fats. Eating protein can
help to prevent overeating; a recent study shows that
you’ll consume 441 fewer calories per day if protein
accounts for 30% of your diet.
Bottom Line: Eating more protein can boost your
metabolism so that you burn more calories. Protein helps
you feel fuller for longer, so you’ll eat less.
2. Drink More Cold Water
People who drink water instead of sugary drinks are
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. Drinking water may also speed up your
metabolism temporarily. Drinking 17 oz (0.5 litres) of
water increases resting metabolism by 10–30% for
about an hour. This calorie-burning effect may be even
greater if you drink cold water, as your body uses energy
3. Do a High-Intensity Workout
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) involves quick
and very intense bursts of activity. It can help you burn
more fat by increasing your metabolic rate, even after
your workout has finished. This effect is believed to be
greater for HIIT than for other types of exercise. One
study in overweight young men found that 12 weeks
of high-intensity exercise reduced fat mass by 4.4 lbs (2
kg) and belly fat by 17%.
Bottom Line: By varying 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, and
building muscle can help increase your metabolism.
This means you will burn more calories each day,
even at rest. Lifting weights will also help you retain
muscle and combat the drop in metabolism that can
occur during weight loss. In one study, 48 overweight
women were placed on a diet of 800 calories per day,
along with either no exercise, aerobic exercise or
resistance training. After the diet, the women who did
the resistance training maintained their muscle mass,
metabolism and strength. The others lost weight, but
also lost muscle mass and experienced a decrease in
metabolism, showing heavy lifting also leads to loss of
weight.