Your metabolism refers to the process by which your body converts food and drink into energy. This process is an essential part of your biology as it provides your body with the fuel it needs in order to function. Not only does your body use energy to do physical tasks, such as walking and generally moving around, it needs it to carry out vital mechanisms, like breathing, repairing damaged tissue, and circulating blood. Therefore, even when at rest, your body’s metabolism is constantly working to convert energy and keep you alive.
When we refer to our metabolism, we tend to think of the amount of calories you burn and its impact on bodyweight. It’s well known that a faster metabolism is associated with lower body fat. It’s also generally accepted that less fat, especially around the abdominal area, tends to be associated with being healthier. Therefore, the more efficient your body is at burning calories, the more likely you are to be a healthier weight and thereby enjoy better health overall. But is it possible to speed up your metabolism? And how can you do this?
Do aerobic exercise
High-intensity cardio exercise is known to increase your metabolic rate. By exercising at high-intensity, you use up a lot of energy and continue to burn calories afterwards when at rest. The good news is that you don’t have to spend long hours sweating in the gym – a lot of research suggests that short, intense bursts of exercise are better at this than moderate or low-intensity workouts. Known as high-intensity interval training – or HIIT – this type of workout consists of brief explosive sessions of anaerobic activity; for instance a fast sprint lasting 10 seconds a walk.
Drink green tea
There’s some evidence to suggest that drinking green tea can increase your metabolism and help you to burn more fat. It’s thought that green tea helps your body convert stored fat into free fatty acids, which, when combined with a balanced diet and exercise, can help promote fat burning. Furthermore, green tea is low in calories, so is great for losing weight and keeping it off. It’s also packed with antioxidants, which are thought to protect your body from potentially harmful free radicals.
Lift weights
Muscle tissue requires more energy than fat and therefore results in a higher metabolic rate at rest. Basically, it needs more fuel to maintain it. This means that the more lean muscle you have on your body, the more calories you’ll burn, even when you’re sitting doing nothing. The best way to build lean muscle and look more toned is to combine strength training with eating plenty of protein. Protein is vital for building lean muscle and will also help boost your metabolism as it takes more energy than carbohydrates and fats to digest. To make sure you’re getting enough protein, consider Nestle BOOST Optimum, which contains 50% high-quality whey protein, as well as other vitamins and nutrients.
Conclusion
Doing short bursts of high-intensity exercise, drinking green tea, and lifting weights are all effective if you want to speed up your metabolism.
