How to boost your metabolism

How to boost your metabolism

Although genes are relevant when it comes to determining your metabolism, you can trick your body into burning more calories efficiently. One of the best ways to do this is by hitting the gym. According to human studies professor at the University of Alabama Gary Hunter, by strength-training a few times a week, you'll reverse 50% of the seemingly inevitable metabolism slow-down that comes with age.

Ramp up the intensity

When you exercise - run, swim, or even walk - ramp up the intensity for 30-seconds intervals, returning to your normal speed afterward. This strategy will help you consume more oxygen and make your cell powerhouses, the mitochondria, work harder to burn energy, according to Mark Hyman, an integrative and functional medicine specialist in private practice in Lenos, Massachusetts. He is also the author of Ultrametabolism: The Simple Plan for Automatic Weight Loss. “You increase the number of mitochondria and how efficiently they burn throughout the day,” he explains. Therefore, you can burn more calories in less time.

Get your omega-3's

Back in the 90s a war against fat started. This war targeted all food that had any fat in them. Today, this theory has been proved wrong. Not all fats will make up stock up kilos. What you need to avoid are the trans-fats. However, healthy fats will help you lose weight. Eating plenty of fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids (salmon, herring and tuna) will help you balance blood sugar and reduce inflammation, helping to regulate metabolism. They may also reduce resistance to the hormone leptin, which is linked to how fast fat is burned. A study in Obesity Research found that rats that ingested large doses of fish oil while exercising lost weight.

Strength-training boosts your metabolism

Muscle uses more energy than fat. Studies find that an average woman in her 30s who strength-trains 30 to 40 minutes twice a week for four months will increase her resting metabolism by 100 calories a day. That means that you are burning extra calories even when you don't go to the gym.

Turn to green tea

Although green tea has always been praised for its antioxidant polyphenols, new evidence suggests that this kind of tea has catechin which may crank up metabolism. According to a study, catechins may improve fat oxidation and thermogenesis - the latter is your body‘s production of energy from digestion. If you drink five eight-ounce cups of green tea a day, you can increase your energy expenditure by 90 calories a day. If it's summer, you can also opt for iced tea.

Don't starve yourself

While many dieters resort to cutting out too many calories, this is not the best way to lose weight as your metabolism thinks your there's a scarcity of food and stops fat burning to conserve energy. The trick to keeping your metabolism revved up while dieting is eating enough calories to at least match your resting metabolic rate (what you'd burn if you stayed in bed all day).

Don't skip breakfast

Eating a nutrient-rich morning meal shortly after getting out of bed will get your metabolism up and running. “Eating breakfast gets the engine going and keeps it going,” Hyman explains. According to the National Weight Control Registry, 78% of the people who lost an average of 66 pounds and kept it off more than five years had breakfast every day.

Say “no” to trans fat

These are the types of fat you must avoid. They are not only unhealthy but they also slow down your body's ability to burn fat. “They have an altered shape and make your biochemistry run funny,” Hyman said, explaining that trans fat binds to fat and liver cells and slows metabolism. Trans fat also lead to insulin resistance and inflammation, both of which slow down metabolism and can lead to weight gain.

Trans fat products include doughnuts, cookies, muffins, pies and cakes - particularly with frosting. Although breakfast sandwiches might save you time in the morning, these usually contain 1 gram of trans fat. If you look at the ingredients, you are likely to find partially hydrogenated oils in the top five. Besides, they are packed with sodium. Margarine might also contain trans fat. The trick is that if you can keep them in your fridge for a long time, they probably have trans fat. Avoid fried fast food and frozen pizza at all costs as they will hinder your weight-loss efforts.