How to Increase Your Metabolism
There are a variety of steps you can take to increase the rate at which you burn fat naturally. Here are the best ways to increase your metabolism without resorting to pills.
STEP 1 - Vary your calorie intake on a daily or weekly basis
If you consume the same number of calories each day, your metabolism tends to adjust to the number of calories you’re feeding it. To keep your metabolism primed and working at optimal efficiency, vary the number of calories you consume on a daily or weekly basis. If you require 1500 calories per day for maintenance, take in 1300 calories one day and 1700 the next.
STEP 2 - Increase your protein intake
Several studies have shown the thermogenic effect of a high protein meal is considerably higher than a high fat or high carbohydrate meal. Plus, by consuming a high protein meal, you’re less likely to feel hungry later. Add some lean protein sources to each meal and you’ll not only feel more full but you’ll increase the rate at which you burn fat even after you’ve finished eating.
STEP 3 - Pump up the cardiovascular exercise
Performing cardiovascular exercise at a high intensity has been shown to increase your metabolism both while you exercise and for several hours after an intense exercise session. When cardiovascular exercise is done at a more relaxed pace, your metabolism quickly returns to its lower rate after the exercise is complete. If you want to burn more fat even after your cardio session is complete, consider picking up the pace.
STEP 4 - Train with weights
This is another activity that can increase your metabolism for several hours after completion of your exercise session. Plus, training with weights increases your muscle composition which allows you to burn fat faster. Not only does weight training promote weight loss, it also can help you build a beautiful body physique.
STEP 5 - Drink green tea
The catechins in green tea have been shown to significantly increase energy expenditure when consumed in high enough quantities. Unfortunately, you may need to drink rather large quantities of green tea to get a significant increase in metabolism. (5-6 glasses per day). If that’s inconvenient for you, consider investing in a supplement containing green tea extract.
STEP 6 - Eat frequent, small meals
By consuming frequent, small meals throughout the day, you keep your metabolism primed to work at peak efficiency. Try eating 5-6 snack sized meals each day as opposed to 2-3 larger meals.Make sure you select some small meals that are high in protein.
How Does a Low-Carbohydrate Diet Burn Fat?
In the early 1990s, nutrition and diet went through a “you are what you eat” period in the media. “Fat breeds fat!” they told us simply. We were encouraged to eat without abandon; as long as, it wasn’t a lipid. Simple and complex carbohydrates were deemed safe for the pound conscious.
The problem was, with all of the talk about eliminating fat, dieters were getting fatter. Researchers have since discovered that the formula isn’t so simple. Body fat doesn’t just come from our fat intake but is based on other factors such as our overall caloric intake and our insulin levels. As a result, our relationship with carbs, once again, came into question.
We wondered if our breads and our baked potatoes and pasta were actually betraying us. Nutrition authors and physicians were now promoting a low-carbohydrate diet as a way to burn fat.
STEP 1 - Processing Glucose
Best Exercises to Burn Fat
Most people not only want to lose weight, they want to lose fat. Unfortunately, while dieting alone may result in some fat loss, it will also result in muscle loss. The higher the percentage of lean muscle in your body, the more quickly you will burn fat.
When you are starting a fat burning program, it is imperative to do exercises that not only burn calories but also ones that build lean muscle. Keeping this in mind, some exercises will help you reach your goal more quickly than others.
STEP 1 - Use cross training when choosing your exercises. You need to combine strength training and aerobic exercise to reduce the fat content in your body.
STE P 2 - Start lifting weights to build your muscles and increase the rate at which your body burns fat. Visit your localgym and ask about their weight lifting facility. Modern weight lifting clubs are no longer the old sweaty gyms where muscle-bound men grunted and dropped the weights. Ergonomic weight machines isolate individual muscle groups and allow you to work the muscles safely.
STEP 3 - Alternate working muscle groups every day. Your muscles need time to recuperate after a lifting session, so work a different muscle group each day. If you work arms one day, work your legs the next. Your muscles need 48 hours of rest to repair themselves before your next lifting workout.
STEP 4 - Add a cardiovascular workout. As a part of your fat-burning routine, be sure to add an aerobic workout at least three times a week. During an aerobic session, your heart rate will increase, flooding your body and muscles with oxygen and raising your metabolism.
STEP 5 - Choose cardiovascular workouts that are fun to keep you motivated. You can join a step aerobics class or go for a jog. Alternately, combine different aerobic workouts to keep you motivated and to stave off boredom. Spend 15 minutes on the stair-stepper, another 15 on the treadmill and finish up with 15 minutes on an elliptical trainer. Any exercise that gets your heart rate up and keeps it up will burn fat.
