Boost Your Metabolism With These Tips
By Paul Rothbart
Your metabolic rate, commonly called your metabolism, is how fast your body burns calories. It is one of the more important numbers to overall health. The higher your metabolism, the easier it is to lose weight and keep it off. Burning calories is what provides your body with energy so a higher metabolism will also make you more energetic. This creates side effects that help you too feel better and improve your health. Boosting your metabolism is a great way to boost your health. Here are some tips to up your metabolic rate and burn calories faster.
Increase Protein Consumption
When you eat, your body experiences what is called the thermic effect of food. What this means is that foods actually require the burning of calories for them to be digested and absorbed by the body. This will boost your metabolism for several hours. The higher the thermic effect, the bigger the boost. Protein can increase metabolism by 15-30 percent. It has the highest thermic effect of any type of nutrition. Another helpful effect of protein is that it fills you up and minimizes cravings. Research has found that when people's diets are made up of 30 percent protein, they consume about 441 fewer calories over the course of a day.
Try Green or Oolong Tea
Tea, especially green and oolong, has some excellent health benefits. It's low in calories and high in antioxidants. These teas can also boost your metabolism by 4-5 percent. They may also turn stored fat into free fatty acids. Your body may then burn 10-17 percent more fat. Green and oolong tea are helpful for preventing drops in metabolism that may occur between meals.
Try Some Spice
Spicy foods are loaded with flavor and some people can't get enough. Hot peppers in particular contain capsaicin. This substance can help burn an additional 10 calories at every meal. This does not seem like much on its own, but when added to other metabolism-boosting foods, it can make a significant difference.
Sleep Better
Poor sleep has been linked to an increase in the risk of obesity. When you get insufficient and poor quality sleep, it can slow down your metabolism. It can also increase feelings of hunger. Sleeping well improves health in many ways. Increasing metabolism is one of them.
Losing and maintaining weight comes down to balancing the intake and burning of calories. Diet and exercise are the best ways to do this. But by following these tips, you can increase your metabolism, burn more calories, and make the process a little easier.
To learn more about your health, wellness and fitness, see your local chiropractor in Greenville, S.C.