Metabolism is a term that’s of high dignity in the fitness world. It is the rate at which a person’s body burns calories for energy.
Fast metabolism allows you to eat more & gain less and vice-versa. Everyone aiming to shred looks forward to improving their metabolism for making their fitness journey a good one.
Here are some things you can do to fasten your metabolism and/or improve it (however, the rate depends on a variety of factors such as body fat, age, sex, activity, genetics, etc)
1. Build Muscle
A person can gain weight either due to muscle mass or fat. But the increase in weight due to muscle mass does not show up in the body as does fat.
If you eat 1500 calories a day, you do not burn all of those in a 2-hour session at the gym. Your body burns calories while you’re at rest, sitting, eating, sleeping, etc.
Muscle uses a lot more energy than fat while at rest. If there’s more fat, there’s less muscle and if there’s more muscle, there’s less fat. The more amount of muscle on your body, the higher your metabolic rate.
2. Eat More Protein
When compared to Carbs & Fats, Protein provides a much higher increase in your metabolism rate due to its high thermic effect. While Carbs increases your metabolic rate by 5-10%, Fats by 0-3%, Protein does so by 15-30%, which is beneficial to increase it in the long run.
3. Drink More Water
Water is the holy grail for everything. A study showed that drinking 500 ML of water increased the metabolic rate by 30% in both men & women for about an hour! Water is necessary to burn fat, without water the body cannot properly metabolize the stored fats and/or carbs. A lot of the time we feel peckish not because we’re hungry but because we’re thirsty. Always drink water 30-45 mins prior to the main meal if you struggle with portion control or overeating.
4. Don’t Sit Down For Too Long
We all have tendencies to get swayed away while on our phones/laptops working or talking to our friends & families. Make sure to get up every 30 mins – 1 hour and take a small stroll for 5 mins. These small walking intervals will increase the number of calories you’re burning throughout the day which will be an addition to what you’re burning at rest.
5. EAT!
While this may sound contradictory, if you eat less with the aim of losing weight as you’re not putting anything in your body, it might backfire and slow down your metabolism. This might make you gain weight if you get back to your normal routine as eating less every day is not sustainable. Eat enough, burn more.
These were some ways through which you could potentially increase your metabolism. Stay away from “fat burning” drinks available in the market as they don’t benefit you in the slightest bit. All of these are scientifically proven & everyone swears by them.