If you are trying to lose weight, increasing your metabolism can help you burn more calories with less work. You’ll find hundreds of advertisements for products that can help enhance your metabolism while you take them but here are some research-based suggestions.
Break the fast: Think about a fire as it’s dying out. If you add wood, the flame grows and the fire continues. Your metabolism is slow while you sleep, but if you can fuel it in the morning, things start to burn sooner.
Eat your protein: Protein is harder to break down, so you burn more calories digesting it than a slice of bread. Adding protein will also prevent your blood sugar from spiking and causing your body to go into storage mode.
Eat several small meals throughout the day: Women’s bodies are built to outsmart starvation. Your metabolism shuts down after a few hours without food. Eating every few hours will keep your metabolism elevated. Eating well-balanced small meals throughout the day that contain protein, carbohydrates and fat will optimize your metabolism.
Fat-free isn’t always the answer: Your body needs fat to function properly. Without proper dietary intake, it will try to hold onto the fat it has in order to stay alive. Biochemically, you need to be taking in good quality fat in order to burn fat.
Burn more calories with cardio: Challenge yourself to burn a few extra calories every day. Go for a walk, hop on your bike or hit an aerobics class. 20 minutes a day can go a long way!
Increase your resting metabolism with weight training: Not only will muscle conditioning make you leaner but the more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn at rest. Muscle requires more energy that fat so consider moderate weight conditioning 2-3 times per week.
Drink your water: Thirst is an inefficient signal in the body. You are usually dehydrated by the time you feel thirsty. Your body needs water to function optimally so keep yourself well hydrated throughout the day.
At Bronte Wellness Boutique, our team of Naturopathic Doctors can help you increase your metabolism to maintain a healthy weight.
To learn more, please contact our Oakville clinic for details.