4 Easy Ways To Ramp Up Your Metabolism
Getting lean fast requires boosting your body’s metabolic rate – the rate at which it burns calories throughout the day – long after your workout is over.
By increasing your body’s metabolic rate you burn more calories because the body automatically goes into “work mode,” preparing itself for a day of hard physical labour.
So, even as you sit at your desk, or stretch out in front of the TV, your body continues to burn calories at a higher rate even though you finished your workout five hours ago. You want the rate at which your body burns calories to increase.
Here are four tips to get your engine revving all through the day.
Alternate High Carb And Low Carb Days
Your metabolism slows down when you’re on a low-calorie diet. When you work out, your body needs energy – energy you’ll burn throughout the day. Weight trainers feel energized throughout the day because their bodies are burning food (fuel) efficiently all day long.
You should reduce your calorie intake in order to lose fat, but this doesn’t mean you should eliminate carbs completely from your diet. While you may see some quick results in the first week (due to less water retention), your metabolism slows down considerably during the second week. As it does, you feel miserable and fat loss slows to a crawl.
If you’re hungry, your diet needs to change. Weight loss should NOT involve hunger or deprivation. Depriving your body of the fuel it requires weakens the immune system, making you more likely to get sick, and it slows the body’s metabolism so you lose fat more slowly – the exact opposite of a “weight-loss” diet. Avoid diets. They never work.
In order to overcome this, alternate a high carb day followed by a low carb day. By doing so, you’ll ensure your body is burning fat all the time.
Pump Up The Speed Of Your Workouts
Another strategy that works great for increasing metabolism is to increase the speed of your workouts. Go from one exercise to the next as fast as you can while still maintaining proper form. Try not to rest for too long in between sets while you take a sip of water or stretch. The key here is to rest the minimum amount of time necessary to perform your next set.
Sure, it doesn’t necessarily provide the aerobic benefits of few laps in the pool. However, by cutting down on recovery time during a set of reps, you can move your heart and breathing rate into the target zone and double up on the benefits of your workout.
Focus On Protein Intake
Another way to increase metabolism quickly is to consume more protein-rich foods. Weight lifters know that protein is important for building muscle and maintaining that muscle while you’re on a low calorie diet. What some lifters don’t realize, however, is that by consuming protein, they burn more calories than they would eating carbs or fats.
This is known as the thermic effect of foods, which essentially represents the number of calories you burn digesting what you eat. Out of all the nutrients, protein is the one that has the highest value here so when you boost your intake of protein, you get an immediate metabolism boost.
The best source of high-quality, low-fat protein is white fish – fresh sole, for example – lightly grilled with a squeeze of lemon or lime. You can’t beat it.
Get More Sleep
Another way to boost your metabolic rate is simply to sleep more. When you cut down on sleep, you don’t give your body the time it needs to recover and rejuvenate itself after a strenuous workout.
Sleep deprivation & irregular sleeping pattern can dramatically affect hormones responsible for metabolism regulation. In addition, lack of sleep affects appetite, so now you not only have a slowed metabolism, but it also increases your chance of binge eating. NOT a good combination.
Apply all these tips to your workout & to your food management to keep your body revved and your metabolism at its peak.
