Most things in life really boil down to hard work. If you want results at anything, you can never take the easy way out. This is especially true with a healthy body. If you’re looking to boost your metabolism and to lose weight, then stay far, far away from those dangerous diet pills and costly surgeries. It’s only going to be done with dieting and exercise.
Having a healthy and well functioning metabolism is essential if you’re expecting to lose weight and keep it off. When your metabolism is able to break down more of the food you eat into energy-producing nutrients, you’ll feel better, build more muscle, burn more fat, and live an all-around healthier lifestyle.
The Diet For Raising Metabolism
Eating fewer calories than you burn off isn’t quite enough if you’re looking to naturally increase the function of your metabolism and effectively continue to burn off those calories as they’re ingested. You’re also going to have to make food changes – like eating healthier fats.
Healthy fats repair cells, create hormones and aid in the overall process of fat-burning. You can find healthy fats in:
- olive oil
- fish
- avocados
- nuts
- seeds
- any mono or polyunsaturated fat
- Omega-3 fats found in fish
You’ll also want to limit your intake of carbohydrates and work to increase your protein intake. Cut out
- junk foods
- white breads
- refined wheat pasta
- sodas
- any foods containing high-fructose corn syrup (also called glucose-fructose syrup)
- processed or refined food.
Make sure that you’re staying fully hydrated at all times to help with the thermogenic process, and always burn a few hundred more calories than what you put into your body.
How to Raise Your Metabolism
To increase your metabolism, it helps to increase your oxygen intake through cardiovascular exercise. Weight training also works to boost your metabolism because increased muscle tissue means you have increased fat-burning enzymes in your body, and that means more fat will be burned for fuel and less will be sent to the storage shed.
Try to work out at least 3 days per week for 30 minutes a day. You could vary the exercises to get the maximum benefits. Walking, swimming and other aerobic exercises are considered to be the basics. If you could combine this with interval training and weight training (even with small weights) the effects will be more pronounced.
The advantages of making small changes in one’s lifestyle such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or walking short distances and not driving are highly recommended.
Consuming specific types of food helps increase the metabolic rate. Eat small meals at regular intervals. Metabolism and hence weight gain is affected by the number of times an individual eats as calories are used up to even digest the food.
Fluid intake especially that of water should be adequate to ensure that fat isn’t stored to make up for the lack of water in the body; water helps in maintaining the body temperature at an optimal level and hence the metabolic rate is also affected.
Make sure your protein intake is high as this helps in building muscle and more muscle means better metabolism. A high intake of fibre is also recommended as this binds to any fat consumed from foods so that it is passed out of the body. A person should not lose more than two pounds a week.
There are no shortcuts and a wholesome diet with adequate physical activities could be just what you need to manage your weight.
How Metabolism Affects Weight Management
If you’re overweight it could be due to a low metabolism or hypothyroidism i.e. the thyroid gland being underactive. Your age also determines how many calories you require and how much fat gets converted into muscles. Generally, men tend to burn off their calories faster than women. Another factor that determines the metabolic rate is your body composition. It is therefore necessary that you seek expert guidance on how best to manage your weight.
References:
- http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14802091/
- http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/metabolism/wt00006
- http://www.metabolism.com/2008/08/23/metabolism-works/
- http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/8871.php
- http://weightloss.about.com/od/weightloss101/a/101lesson5.htm
- http://www.isnare.com/?aid=254384&ca=Wellness%2C+Fitness+and+Diet