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8
Ways To Boost Your Metabolism Naturally and Burn Fat Fast
To
lose weight effectively, it's important to understand the correlation
between metabolism and fat burning. Metabolism is a chemical process
whereby hormones and enzymes are solicited to convert food into
glucose to be used as energy for our daily activities. You also
have the basal metabolic rate(BMR), which is the amount of calories
your body burn to sustain itself even at rest. Your metabolism
can have a significant impact on how much fat you can potentially
burn. People with a fast metabolism can burn fat faster than those
with a sluggish metabolism. Our metabolism is totally in our control,
things like exercise, food and lifestyle can dictate our metabolic
rate. Here are 8 ways to boost your metabolism naturally and burn
fat fast.
1.
Add spices to your meals.
Spices
have the ability to increase your body's heat due to their thermogenic
properties. Consequently, they can play a key role in revving
up your metabolism and enable you to burn fat fast. Eating spicy
foods every now and then have several health benefits as well
which can contribute to your overall weight loss efforts. Here
is a detailed article "Do
Spicy Foods Help You Lose Weight? 9 Powerful Spices"
revealing how spices can help you burn fat and lose weight by
boosting your metabolism.
2.
Eat 4-6 small meals.
Eating
the traditional 3 big meals per day is a big mistake if your
goal is to burn fat fast. There is a myth which says that eating
large meals will speed up your metabolism but actually it's
the contrary which is true. Large and infrequent meals will
slow down your metabolic system whereas small but frequent meals(4-6)
will ignite your metabolism. People who eat more frequently
like every 2-3 hours but control their food portions have a
more active metabolism making them prone to burn fat fast.
3. Eat breakfast.
Breakfast
is the most important meal of the day. During your sleep, your
body has been deprived of food for several hours. When you wake
up, your metabolism is slow and you need a healthy breakfast
to rev it up. A good breakfast will include complex carbohydrates
like oatmeal, protein like eggs, some fruits like apples, bananas,
blueberries and a glass of water.
4.
Eat nutritious foods.
There
is nothing worse for your metabolism than eating simple carbs
and worst if you eat a lot of them at one go which is easy to
do since they are not satiating and digest fast. Eating too
much simple carbs will cause a spike in blood sugar/glucose
levels followed by a crash later on and can trigger an insulin
resistance making you more susceptible for fat storage. Insulin
resistance means your body can't use all that glucose for energy
and any excess is stored as fatty deposits. Examples of simple
carbs include most foods made from white flour like white bread,
white pasta, pizzas, cakes, tarts, pastries, donuts, fried dough
foods, biscuits. Other foods will include white rice, jam, high
fructose corn syrup, candies, cookies, pies and so on.
To kick
your metabolism into high hear, focus on complex carbs, lean protein,
vegetables, fruits and healthy fats. Here is a small list of foods belonging
in these categories - Oats, oat bran, brown rice, wild rice, quinoa,
rye, barley, sweet potatoes, yams, beans, lentils, eggs, low-fat milk,
cottage cheese, greek yogurt, white fish, skinless turkey/chicken breast,
salmon, sardines, tuna, lean beef, buffalo/bison, broccoli, cauliflower,
asparagus, green beans, spinach, blueberries, apples, strawberries,
bananas, avocados, olive oil, flax seeds, fish oil, nuts. All these
are weight loss foods rich in dietary fiber, lean protein, vitamins
and other nutrients which maintain stable blood sugar levels due to
their slow digestion making you less prone for fat storage.
5.
Drink more water.
Not
drinking enough water every day can slow down your metabolism
and make you feel lethargic. Have at least 8 big glasses of
water daily to keep you energetic. You'll need more than that
if you exercise.
6.
Get adequate rest.
Not
getting enough sleep will make your metabolism become more sluggish
as you experience a drop in energy levels during the day. Have
7-8 hours of quality sleep every night and sleep before midnight
preferably. Your fitness level will be sharper.
7.
Perform compound exercises.
Compound
exercises can boost your metabolism as they recruit more muscle
fibers. In addition, it has also been discovered that since
they naturally increase testosterone levels in men, they have
a positive effect on your metabolism. Compound exercises solicit
several muscle groups in a single movement and they are very
effective for building muscle mass fast and aiding weight loss
too. Some examples include bench press, military press, bent-over
rows, squats, deadlifts, pushups, pullups and dips. Check out
"Compound
Exercises To Lose Weight" for more information.
8.
Perform HIIT.
HIIT
stands for High Intensity Interval Training and it's a cardiovascular
exercise technique which burns fat fast. It's usually comprised
of short bursts of intense exercise followed by moderate intensity
and slow intensity then repeat the process again for a few sessions.
This technique is known as the "low duration high intensity"
since you don't need to perform the traditional monotonous "high
duration low intensity" session of cardio. It has been
proven that HIIT burns fat well beyond the initial exercise
since it sets your metabolism on fire. Check out "High
Intensity Interval Training For Weight Loss and Burning Fat"
for more information.
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