You’ve had a long day and you are exhausted, which makes sense as you’ve been so busy, right? Or could it be that you’ve been so busy that you didn’t take the time to eat? After all, some people seem to be busy all the time and have boundless energy. Oftentimes, it is those same people that seem to be eating non-stop but never gaining weight. Do you ever wish you had that person’s metabolism? Good news is that your metabolism is something that you CAN affect.
Metabolism explained simply is the process in which your body turns food into energy. Here are some ways that you can boost your metabolism:
~Get plenty of sleep. Some negative effects of sleep deprivation on metabolism are that it’s been shown to been shown to boost the hunger hormone ghrelin and decrease the fullness hormone leptin. That’s a double whammy right there. Lack of sleep has also been linked to increased blood sugar levels and insulin resistance.
~Move more throughout the day. This is not just about getting your steps in or burning more calories on any given day. Moving more will have positive effects on your metabolism. You’ve heard, take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator but right now, while a lot of us are working from home, simply standing more, hence, sitting less can make a difference. Even simply making it a regular practice to stand and walk while on the phone at home will help your metabolism. Also, this is a much safer practice at home than while out and about for so many reasons.
~Include protein in your diet. TEF, the thermic effect of food, is when your body works harder, uses more calories, to digest, absorb and process the nutrients in your meal. “Protein causes the largest rise in TEF. It increases your metabolic rate by 15–30%, compared to 5–10% for carbs and 0–3% for fats.” (National Institutes of Health, Nutrition and Metabolism, November 19, 2014)
~Workout regularly. A 2011 study in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise found that 45 minutes of vigorous cardio increased metabolic rate for up to 14 hours post workout. If you can get strength training in, the higher your muscle mass, the better your metabolism will be as muscle is more metabolically active than fat. This means that by adding strength training, as you lose weight, you could increase metabolism. Don’t let the thought of strength/weight training intimidate you. It doesn’t have to mean extreme heavy lifting. You can build strength and muscle doing exercises properly with lighter weights or even your own body weight.
These are not the only things you can do to boost your metabolism, but incorporating these things into your life will also benefit your health in other ways as well. Additionally, I could benefit from being able to get more done and not drag through the day while doing it; couldn’t you? My biggest motivation, as many of you know, is that I love food. So boosting my metabolism means getting to turn those EATS into ENERGY. Mangia!