For anybody out there who happens to have struggled with their weight in the past, and chances are there are a fair few of you, which isn’t just some inane comment designed to be controversial, it is a comment backed up by scientific evidence. You see, currently, there are more people living in this world that are classed as overweight or obese, than at any other point in previous history, which basically means that obesity levels are now through the roof. Sadly, when it comes to our weight, it seems as if, for many of us, losing weight is much, much tougher than gaining weight. Have you ever noticed, however, how some people tend to find it easier to lose weight, and perhaps even find it tougher to gain weight in the process? It seems as if there are some of us, who seem to gain weight by simply thinking about healthy foods, then there are others who can eat as much junk food as they like, and barely gain a simple pound. This is all down to our metabolisms and how the human body is able to convert calories and fat, into sources of fuel and energy to get us through the day. Some people are genetically gifted with fast-burning metabolisms that make it easy for them to lose weight, and tough for them to gain weight, yet there are others who have naturally slow metabolisms, which sadly have the exact opposite effect. The good news however, is that, even though you yourself may have inherited a slow metabolism, that doesn’t mean you need to resign yourself to a life on constant struggles with your weight, as there are a number of natural ways of increasing and speeding up the metabolism. To help you get control of your weight, here we’ll be taking a look at 6 simple tips on how to naturally increase your metabolism.
Increase your exercise intensity
Exercise and physical activity should not just be utilized by individuals trying to burn fat and lose weight, as there are a number of health and fitness benefits associated with performing physical exercise on a regular basis. For this reason, you should ideally be engaging in exercise on a weekly basis. If you do workout pretty regularly yet you don’t seem to be able to shed those stubborn pounds of body fat, you may wish to step things up a gear and increase the overall intensity of your exercise. For example, if you perform cardio by simply walking on a treadmill for 45 minutes per cardio session, you may wish to increase your speed to a light job, or even think about running as quickly as you possibly can. If you lift weights, rather than taking 5 minutes of rest in between sets, aim for just one minute instead.
Try HIIT
HIIT, or High Intensity Interval Training, is another fantastic form of exercise that has been proven to provide significant increases in a person’s resting metabolic rates. HIIT basically requires an individual to engage in periods of high intensity exercise, immediately followed by periods of slow and steady exercise, before ramping things up and repeating the cycle all over again. So, if for example, you were simply out for a jog around the park. Rather than maintaining the same speed for the next 45 – 60 minutes, you would instead begin by walking at a slow and steady pace for 60 seconds, and then increasing your speed and sprinting as fast as you could for the next 30 seconds to complete one round. After the first round, you would again walk for 60 seconds, and then sprint for another 30 seconds, and so on. Typically, most HIIT workouts last for just 20 – 30 minutes and not only allow you to burn calories during the exercise, but to also burn fat even after you finish. HIIT exercise promotes what is known as the “afterburn effect” which basically means that the metabolism is naturally increased and sped up for several hours after a workout. This means that for the next 24 – 36 hours after engaging in a HIIT workout, you will still be burning more calories than usual, even in a rested state. The more HIIT you do, the faster your metabolism will naturally become.
Increase your omega 3 consumption
When it comes to healthy ingredients, you would be hard pressed to come up with a healthier and more beneficial ingredient than the humble omega 3 fatty acid. Omega 3 fatty acids are commonly found in a number of foods, including nuts and oily fish like mackerel and salmon. These fatty acids provide a number of enormous health benefits for the human body, especially when it comes to the metabolism. The main reason why these healthy fats can help to rev up your metabolism and really kick it into an extra gear, is down to the fact that they help to regulate and balance blood sugar levels, fight inflammation, and regulate the metabolism in the process. On top of that however, experts have been especially impressed with the fact that omega 3 fatty acids are thought to reduce leptin resistance. Leptin is a hormone which plays a key role with just how fast fat is burned. To really see the benefits in regards to how quickly your metabolism runs at, experts recommend consuming around 1000 – 2000mg of omega 3 fatty acids each day. Not only can you increase your oily fish consumption, flaxseeds are also rich in this nutrient, plus you can purchase omega 3 health supplements as well.
Lift weights
For anybody trying to speed up their metabolisms, lifting weights is a great way of doing so as the more muscle you build, the faster your metabolism will become. You see, muscle weighs a great deal more than body fat does, so the more muscle you build, the heavier you become, and the more energy your body requires to simply maintain itself in its natural state. How does it get this energy? By speeding up the metabolism, burning more calories, and converting them into energy. This is why a 250lb bodybuilder will require more calories for maintenance, than a 250lb overweight man carrying around more body fat. You don’t need to train like a bodybuilder if you don’t want, but if you do weight train just two-three times per week, you will soon naturally increase your lean muscle mass levels, which in turn will increase your metabolism. In fact, studies have found that lifting weights just twice per week for 16 weeks, can increase a person’s resting metabolic rate by 100 – 150 calories per day.
Eat little and often
One of the most common mistakes that people tend to make when trying to lose weight is to starve themselves for most of the day, skipping several meals and then allowing themselves one extra large meal in the evening. Even if the meal they eat is healthy, this is still not a healthy way of losing weight and not only will it make it much tougher to lose weight, there is actually the risk that it will result in weight gain. Rather than skipping meals, as bizarre as it may sound, the best way of revving up the metabolism and helping to lose weight is to eat more frequently. Rather than two or three large meals per day, experts recommend instead consuming around 6 small and nutritionally balanced meals throughout the day instead, every three hours or so. This is by far the most effective way of increasing the metabolism as it constantly keeps it firing on all cylinders. Think of your metabolism as a fire. If you allow the fire to burn down throughout the day, it will grow cooler and cooler, and will give off less heat and energy. If you then throw a huge pile of wood onto the fire after it has nearly gone out, it may become bogged down and would struggle to get going again. If however, you constantly keep the fire fed with plenty of wood throughout the day, it will burn hotter and brighter, and will provide more heat and energy. As long as your meals are healthy and nutritionally balanced, eating every three hours or so is a great way of really firing up the body’s resting metabolic rates.
Consume more green tea
Green tea is considered one of the healthiest beverages in the entire world, and it seems there is little that this miraculous tea can’t do in regards to health and well-being. Green tea is packed full of polyphenols, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that provide countless benefits for the body. It is one antioxidant in particular, that experts are especially impressed with and excited about in regards to fat loss, and that ingredient is Epigallocatechin Galate, better known as EGCG. EGCG has been found to increase thermogenesis and fat oxidation within the body, and can help to greatly enhance the metabolism. Experts found that, by consuming five average sized cups of green tea per day, energy expenditure could increase by as much as 90 calories per day.
