Anyone who treats exercise seriously wants to own a fast metabolism. Of course, anyone who treats exercise seriously also wants to own effortless six-pack abs and a 500-pound squat. However, there’s a saying about wishing in one hand and unloading excrement in the other and seeing which gets filled quicker. In other words, if your genetics didn’t bestow upon you the world’s fastest resting metabolic rate, you’re going to need to put your wheels in motion and start paying attention to the details in order to give your metabolism a boost.
The good news is that a handful of things you can do to get your metabolism moving in the right direction aren’t all that difficult to implement into your daily routine.
Here are 6 simple ways to boost your metabolism.
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Catch More ZZZzzz
Researchers from the University of Colorado performed a sleep study with 16 healthy men and women over a two-week period. The people who stayed up later were found to eat more carbs, a smaller breakfast, and a larger dinner. A separate 224-person study from the University of Pennsylvania also found that late-night snackers tended to feast on fattier foods. What’s more, in this study men were found to pack on more weight than women.
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Eat breakfast
There’s no concrete evidence to support the notion that eating six meals a day will speed up your metabolism. But there are reasons to make breakfast a priority: it will make Mom happy (she only pestered you about it being the most important meal of the day for 18 long years); and eating breakfast wakes up your metabolism after fasting for seven or eight hours during sleep.
While a recent, small study on obese men and women claimed that eating breakfast doesn’t necessarily lead to weight loss, a healthy morning meal can provide energy and help control hunger cravings as it revs up your metabolism.
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Stay Hydrated
Dehydration can trick you into feeling hungry, diminish athletic and mental performance, and impede metabolism. Two studies by the same researchers performed in 2003 and 2007—using what they called “normal” men and women in the former, and overweight or obese subjects in the latter—confirmed that drinking just 500 ml (16 fl. oz.) of water led to water-induced thermogenesis (an increase in energy expenditure).
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Implement High-Intensity Resistance Training
Muscle burns more calories than fat. In other words, the more muscle mass you have, the more your metabolic rate increases—even while you’re at rest. A 2012 study in the Journal of Translational Medicine found that using high-intensity interval resistance training (HIRT)— short workouts using heavy weights—increased resting energy expenditure in subjects (REE) by 23 percent, or 424 calories, in the 24-hour period following the workout.
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De-Stress
We understand that leaving work stresses at work can be a job all its own. And then there’s money issues, relationship problems, and — ah, sorry. We’re stressing you out even more, huh? Our bad. Stress can trigger a cortisol spike, which can make you hungrier and impede metabolism.
There are countless things you can do to loosen up: meditate, practice yoga, play Candy Crush, meditate while practicing yoga while playing Candy Crush, etc. But something simple and effective you can accomplish during a break at work is to take a walk where there’s greenery; studies show that plants and natural scenery can help reduce stress levels, lower blood pressure, and alleviate muscle tension.
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Diet Wisely
If you’re leaning heavily on crash diets, “fat-burning foods,” stimulants (i.e. caffeine), or other supps to boost metabolism, you plan is flawed. Severely cutting caloric intake can result in rapid weight loss, but the tradeoff is that it can also lead to muscle loss, fatigue, and a slower metabolism.
In the case of spicy foods like capsaicin (found in chili peppers), you might see a short-term boost in metabolism; and caffeine provides an energy jolt and increases heart rate while potentially decreasing appetite. But neither will create metabolic changes that’ll lead to significant weight loss.
The important yet boring truth is that you cannot consume more calories than you use and expect a fad diet, pill, powder, or specific food to change the math. So if you’ve hit the wall with your diet, keep a log of what and when you’re eating to see why you’ve plateaued with your weight loss goals.
