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How To Boost Your Metabolism

Browse the aisles of almost any health food store and you’ll likely see several products that claim to help users boost their metabolism. Keep reading to understand more about why people want speedier metabolism as well as some things you can do that might speed things up in your body.

Benefits Of A Faster Metabolism

If you’ve ever known a person who seems to eat as much as they want and never gain weight, that individual may have commented, “I have a fast metabolism” to anyone who asks how they were able to stay so slender. Therefore, one of the most well-known benefits of a faster metabolism is that you experience weight loss because your body is able to more efficiently get rid of toxins. Many people often wonder how such toxins get inside their bodies at all. Put simply, the waste accumulates when you sweat, have bowel movements and urinate. If your metabolism does not function fast enough, it not only leads to excessive waste.

Many people often wonder how such toxins get inside their bodies at all. Put simply, the waste accumulates when you sweat, have bowel movements and urinate. If your metabolism does not function fast enough, it not only leads to excessive waste build-up, but causes your body to have too many fat cells.

Eventually, you may find that you’ve become overweight or even obese, at least partially because your metabolism needs a boost. So how do you give it what it needs?

Exercise With A Purpose

Unfortunately, not all things that affect your metabolism are within your control. For example, your genetic make-up, gender and age all influence the speed of your metabolism. So too, does exercise, and fitness experts recommend that rather than feeling upset about the factors which relate to your metabolism that are outside your control, it’s best to start working out for the main purpose of getting a faster metabolism.

Aerobic exercise is one of the important keys to boost your metabolism. The type of exercise doesn’t matter too much as long as the overall exertion level is high enough to get your heart rate up. Furthermore, you need to switch the intensity of your exercise and rapidly go back and forth between lower and higher intensities. Try doing a one-minute burst of extremely rigorous exercise and then doing something that’s easier for two minutes. Repeat that pattern of the two types of exercise for 15 minutes. As a general rule, remember that the more intense your exercise is, the more calories you burn.

Besides working your heart and lungs through aerobic exercise, it’s also smart to pump iron, because muscles burn more calories than fat. Usually, a body that’s highly muscular has a faster metabolism than one characterized by a greater amount of fat. Eventually, even when it’s resting, a well-toned body burns fat more readily than one that’s flabbier.

Wondering how to get started with lifting weights? Start by doing 12 to 15 repetitions of weight lifting for all the body’s major muscle groups, either once or twice per week. If you want more help with lifting weights so you can quickly become a pro, consider joining a gym and signing up for sessions with a personal trainer. Make sure to tell them that you’re interested in boosting your metabolism and that you’ve heard one good way to do that is through weightlifting.

Hydrate Often

You probably already know that water could be considered the elixir of life as far as good health goes. However, if you’re not tuning into your body and recognizing when it’s thirsty, and even periodically coaching yourself to drink water through the day, you may be experiencing a constant state of mild dehydration. Drinking enough water is crucial, and you can even get special water bottles that have internal timers that remind you when to take sips.

However, in addition to drinking lots of water, scientists have found that the temperature of the water also makes a positive difference in relation to the speed of your metabolism. If you drink 48 ounces of very cold water a day, your body has to expend more calories in an effort to warm the water to your body temperature than it would if the water was already at room temperature when you consumed it.

As a result, you may encourage your body temperature to burn up to fifty more calories per day while at rest. Finally, make sure you drink two glasses of icy water as soon as you wake up. The liquid helps your body transition from sleeping to being awake, while the frigid temperature makes your blood start pumping more furiously, which serves to speed up your metabolism by one to two percent.

Finally, make sure you drink two glasses of icy water as soon as you wake up. The liquid helps your body transition from sleeping to being awake, while the frigid temperature makes your blood start pumping more furiously, which serves to speed up your metabolism by one to two percent.

Fill Your Plate With Spicy Foods

Researchers believe that consuming hot peppers makes people less likely to be obese because they oxidate fat and help the body expend more energy, and both of these things speed up the metabolism. Also, by choosing cayenne pepper, you can look forward to benefits besides just a better metabolism. Possible advantages include improved digestion and better blood circulation. Even better, cayenne pepper is very versatile and can be used in everything, from salads to main dishes.

Adopt A Consistent Sleep Schedule

Many people don’t initially realize how a lack of sleep or a failure to have a consistent sleep schedule is two things that can wreak havoc on the metabolism. If you’re not sure how much sleep you get, consider buying a wearable fitness tracker that keeps tabs on how long you sleep. After monitoring your average sleep amounts for a week or so, you may be shocked at how little sleep you get or how you often go to bed and wake up at drastically different times.

If needed, help your body get into a better routine by only using the bedroom for sleeping and acts of intimacy. If you do things like eat and play with the kids while in bed, your body begins to associate the bedroom with lots of different activities and not just sleeping. Soothing music, herbal, non-caffeinated teas and comfortable clothing can also send signals to your body that it’s time to wind down.

Take A Contrast Shower

how-to-boost-your-metabolism-pinRemember how it was recommended that you stimulate your body during exercise by alternating between workouts of different intensity levels? As it turns out, you can achieve a similar effect by changing the temperature of the water when you shower.

Begin by standing under warm water for two to three minutes and then switching to cool water for about 30 to 45 seconds. The fluctuating temperature causes the blood vessels to contract and relax which positively impacts some of the body’s reflexes and could promote better sleep, which improves metabolism.

As you can see, it’s not difficult to coax your body’s metabolism into a higher gear. Even better, contrary to popular belief, not all of the recommended methods involve exercise. Try some or all of these methods soon and see if you notice meaningful differences.

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Katherine Hurst
By Shauna Walker
Personal trainer, fitness coach and wellness expert for over twenty years. Shauna is able to connect personally with her clients because I faced my own wellness challenges at a young age. She started her personal journey towards feeling fit and healthy twenty years ago, and has never looked back. Once struggling with her weight, she also had confidence issues and found it hard to stick with diet and exercise. Shauna managed to break free of this struggle, and now wants to give back and share the lessons she has learned.

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