The term ‘metabolism’ normally takes centre stage in the relentless desire for optimal health and fitness. People see it as a mystical furnace responsible for burning calories at will.
Scientifically speaking, metabolism involves the chemical processes that transform food into energy, build new tissues, and break down old ones. This biochemical incinerator also gets rid of waste, and fuels our bodies’ functions, from thinking and breathing to healing. Hence, it’s a key part of weight management and vital for sustaining energy levels and holistic wellbeing.
However, boosting our metabolism doesn’t work as a silver bullet for weight loss, but as a piece of the puzzle for achieving and maintaining peak wellness.
In a sea of quick-fix promises and magic solutions, it’s important to separate fact from fiction. Sustainable lifestyle changes, rather than mythical metabolism boosters, hold the key to enhancing your metabolic rate.
Today, we dive into six proven ways to boost your metabolism while getting accustomed to a vibrant way of life.
“Blood, sweat, and respect. The first two you give, the last one you earn.”
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
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Number 1. Build Muscle Mass
Our muscles, as active tissues, work nonstop behind the scenes, shredding calories when we rest compared to fat.
This means that more muscle mass stimulates the Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR), turning yourself into an optimised energy-burning machine.
How to Build Muscle Mass
Through strength training, including weightlifting, using resistance bands, or engaging in bodyweight exercises.
Gaby Berkow, an exercise physiologist, explains that your body repairs muscle membranes and builds new proteins after a fitness routine, as well as more proteins in the muscle itself, to be ready to respond to the stress they experience.
The secret sauce is consistency and ramping up the challenge (progressive overload). So, start lifting those dumbbells to get ripped.
“The resistance that you fight physically in the gym and the resistance that you fight in life can only build a strong character.”
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Number 2. Increase Protein Intake
In relation to the thermic effect of food, protein takes the crown. That is to say, your body expends more energy digesting protein than it does carbs and fats, boosting metabolism a bit.
Such a lift ranges from 20 to 35%, compared with 5–15% for carbs and fats. Meaning that a significant portion of the calories from protein are burned off during the digestion itself.
Besides, high-protein foods like lean meats, legumes, and nuts fuel muscle-building endeavours while keeping you fuller longer, trimming overall calorie consumption.
“Chicken breasts and egg whites for breakfast, protein shakes that are also meal replacements, and then for dinner having organic chicken breasts with brown rice or whole-wheat pasta and vegetables.”
LeBron James
However, an excessive ingestion of branched-chain amino acids might exacerbate the development of metabolic disease. In addition, a protein-rich diet poses a heavy acid load to the kidneys.
For instance, if you stopped working out and the energy demand was low, excess protein could be transformed into glucose or ketone bodies, undesirable if weight loss is the goal.
While increasing protein intake has a positive impact, it’s vital to evaluate your entire diet and calorie balance.
Remember, everything in the right proportion.
“My fitness philosophy is to eat clean to maintain energy levels and workout hard to keep muscle tone.”
Serena Williams
Number 3. HIIT for Weight Loss
Do you want a metabolism boost that lasts even after your physical conditioning plan? Enter High Intensity Interval Training.
These short, explosive bursts of activity, followed by brief rest periods, are the dynamo of workout regimes. HIIT not only saves time but also keeps metabolism fired up long after you’ve left the gym.
A 15-week HIIT study on 45 people showed improved cardiovascular fitness, a reduction in total body mass, lower insulin levels, and a noticeable leg fat loss.
Another research investigation explained how HIIT increased post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), known as the ‘afterburn effect.’
As an example, in an intense routine, your overdriven body consumes more oxygen than your lungs can take in, creating a deficit. Thus, when the action ends, EPOC starts to repay that debt, increasing O2 intake and burning more calories than usual, even during recovery moments.
To capitalise on this training, consult a professional to customise a routine with sprints and burpees.
Number 4. Stay Hydrated
Water, the elixir of life, is essential for facilitating the myriad of biochemical reactions in your body. It includes the generation of enzymes and the energy production of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the cell’s fuel source.
Moreover, water functions as the river through which nutrients reach cells and waste products are removed. And let’s not forget sweating, a crucial cooling mechanism, which relies on water availability.
“Water is the best of all things.”
Hippocrates
Neglecting hydration risks decelerating the calorie-burning pace. Research studies conducted in 2003 revealed that drinking 500 ml of water increased the metabolic rate by 30% within 10–40 minutes of consumption.
Water is paramount to metabolising stored fat into energy, according to a paper presented in the journal ‘Neurology’ in 2005. Meaning that metabolism can be slowed down by mild levels of dehydration.
The slower the metabolism, the slower the weight loss.
How Much Water Should I Drink?
Based on popular knowledge, to replenish fluids, aim for 8–10 glasses of water a day, to keep your calorie-burning machine well oiled. But it will depend on the physical activities or the weather.
Important consideration
Proper hydration is crucial, but a balanced diet, consistent exercise, enough sleep, and genetics influence your metabolic health, too.
“You need to stay hydrated. Water is so important for cleansing your body and your skin.”
Cameron Diaz
Number 5. Prioritise Quality Sleep
William Shakespeare touched on sleep in a poetic manner in Macbeth, calling it “the chief nourisher in life’s feast.
As the dark horse of metabolism, sleep plays a pivotal role in regulating critical hormones, such as cortisol and ghrelin. Disrupting sleep forces you down a non-brake, slippery road to weight gain.
Thus, embrace good sleep habits, including maintaining a consistent sleep schedule and creating a restful environment to support metabolic health.
At the same time, poor sleep leads to insulin resistance, making it harder to process sugar and gaining additional pounds.
“Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”
Benjamin Franklin
Did you know that when sleep quality is poor, your body slams the brakes on metabolism to conserve energy throughout the day?
A review of multiple studies found a strong association between short sleep duration (<7 hours per night) and the likelihood of developing obesity and weight gain. So, despite eating a controlled diet, sleep deprived individuals lost less fat mass, suggesting metabolic changes due to poor sleep.
A reduction of sleep duration to four hours for two consecutive nights has shown to decrease leptin and increase ghrelin in the blood, as well as hunger.
Sleep and Weight Loss: Testing in the Lab
In an experiment, nine healthy normal-weight men spent three nights sleeping in a laboratory: the first night with a sleep time of 7 hours, the second one with 4.5 hours, and the last night with total sleep deprivation (SD).
Those with a total SD marked stronger feelings of hunger, providing evidence that restlessness influences endocrine regulation, which in the end may cause the numbers climb on the scale and obesity.
Scientists concluded that sleep deprivation reduced blood concentrations of leptin, the satiety hormone, and raised ghrelin and adiponectin levels, which promote weight gain if they persist over extended periods of sleep loss.
All in all, organise your schedule to sleep better and more.
Number 6. Minimise Prolonged Sitting
The modern-day curse on metabolism stems from our sedentary lifestyle. Long stretches of physical inactivity reduce calorie burn.
Being glued in a chair is common in older adults and is related to insulin resistance and poor cardiometabolic health.
How to Nullify Such An Evil?
Break up sitting time with regular movement, embrace the stairs, and consider standing desks. Every bit of Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) adds up.
Five-minute bouts of getting upright or walking reduce glucose and insulin in people at high risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. This simple approach could improve the metabolic profile of postmenopausal, dysglycemic individuals.
Although not directly related to metabolism, a study concluded that binge watching TV is associated with slower metabolism, obesity, and diabetes.
So, being a couch potato is not the answer.
Simple Changes Improve Metabolism
We are living in a world so obsessed with rapid results, from making money to losing weight, that we miss out on setting realistic expectations.
If we go to the gym and do not see immediate effects, we might become discouraged and give up. But we quit too soon, and believe me, it requires patience, dedication, and consistency.
“Success isn’t always about greatness. It’s about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come.”
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
I train every single day, but I prefer to keep my workouts at a moderate intensity while still pushing myself. It took me only a couple of months to produce outstanding results.
The solution is to adopt a combined approach and focus on sustainable lifestyle changes to lay the foundations for long-term success. This is a marathon, not a sprint.
I invite you to lace up your sneakers, stock up on lean proteins, and embark on this transformative journey.
Are you ready to take charge of your metabolism? Which one of these tips will you try this week? Let us know in the comments!
“Drink plenty of water, eat moderately, exercise regularly, sleep soundly, have peace of mind.”
Dalai Lama
