{"id":9012,"date":"2023-10-17T15:30:50","date_gmt":"2023-10-17T14:30:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mensfitness.co.uk\/?p=9012"},"modified":"2024-07-19T09:15:49","modified_gmt":"2024-07-19T08:15:49","slug":"how-to-speed-up-your-metabolism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mensfitness.co.uk\/features\/how-to-speed-up-your-metabolism\/","title":{"rendered":"How to speed up your metabolism"},"content":{"rendered":"

Learn how to speed up your metabolism and accelerate fat loss with these science-backed strategies…<\/strong><\/h2>\n

From practicing the best bodyweight exercises<\/a> to eating more protein, there are plenty of ways to boost your metabolism. A 24\/7 machine, your metabolism is the sum of all the chemical reactions in your body. It energises 37 trillion cells, powers all your vital organs and ensures your immune system functions to keep you alive. That said, metabolism is also a word often used but poorly understood \u2013 especially when people want to learn how to speed it up.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn the most basic level,\u201d explains Dr Michael Mosley, metabolism specialist with thefast800.com<\/a>, \u201cit is the process by which your body turns what you eat and drink into energy. You need that energy to move, digest food, keep warm, breathe and even think. The whole process is known as your basal metabolic rate.\u201d<\/p>\n

How that metabolic rate works, and how much energy it uses itself, is determined by a number of factors including your size, build, gender and age.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn general, men tend to have less body fat and more muscle than women, which means men burn more calories,\u201d explains Dr Martin Kinsella, hormone specialist with bioidhealth.com<\/a>. \u201cEven when you\u2019re resting, your body needs energy to function, grow and repair. Muscles, including the brain, burn up to 300 calories every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Body composition changes, activity levels and diet can influence that burn rate, too.<\/p>\n

How to speed up your metabolism<\/h2>\n

1. Eat to burn<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cAs well as your\u00a0metabolic\u00a0rate, another factor that determines how many calories you burn is thermogenesis, or the processing of food,\u201d says Dr Kinsella.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you eat food it\u2019s digested, absorbed, transported and stored \u2013 and all of these processes use calories. This is called the thermic effect of food, or TEF.\u201d<\/p>\n

Starving yourself won\u2019t burn calories; regularly eating meals of the right kind will.<\/p>\n

2. Little and often<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Because of TEF, eating more often can help you lose weight. \u201cWhen you eat large meals with many hours in between, your metabolism slows down,\u201d says Dr Kinsella.<\/p>\n

Research published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition<\/a>, however, shows that having a small meal or snack every few hours keeps your metabolism whirring away, so you burn more calories over the course of a day.<\/p>\n

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3. Muscle up to speed up your metabolism<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cBuilding and maintaining lean muscle tissue is important,\u201d says Dr Kinsella. A pound of muscle can burn up to 20 calories a day, whereas a pound of fat can burn only five calories.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince lifting weights helps build muscles and also burns fat,\u201d adds Dr Kinsella, \u201cit has a dual benefit in weight-loss programmes.\u201d Ultimately, the more muscle someone has, the more calories they will burn \u2013 as highlighted by a wealth of research in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Learn about metabolic testing<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

4. Pile on the protein<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Protein is the best food for speeding up metabolic rate. In fact, it\u2019s estimated that regular protein intake with every meal can ramp up that rate by more than 15%.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnything you consume that\u2019s going to support your skeletal muscle mass is going to influence how many calories you burn each day,\u201d adds Dr\u00a0Greg\u00a0Potter, chief science officer at Resilient Nutrition<\/a>. \u201cHigh-quality protein and creatine monohydrate are especially effective.\u201d<\/p>\n

5. Crank up the cardio<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cRaising your heart rate, increasing blood flow to the limbs and muscles, challenging your lungs and triggering the effects of exercise on the body not only requires energy in the form of glycogen, but also makes demands on the body that raises the metabolic rate,\u201d says Dr Kinsella.<\/p>\n

\u201cCardiovascular exercise is a great way of stimulating your metabolism \u2013 and in some studies<\/a> it\u2019s suggested that it could be better than resistance work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rev up your metabolism with this fat-burning workout<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

6. Try green tea to speed up your metabolism<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Green tea has got plenty of skin in the game when it comes to encouraging thermogenesis.<\/p>\n

US researchers found that \u2013 in a study of sedentary young men \u2013 green tea with caffeine significantly increased energy expenditure (4%) and fat burning. Control groups given just caffeine or a placebo experienced no significant changes.<\/p>\n

7. Or stick to coffee<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If you can\u2019t face the thought of asking for a green tea at the greasy spoon, opt for a strong black coffee instead.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you have a high dose of caffeine, then your sympathetic nervous system is going to crank out substantially more stress hormones. In turn, this will influence how many calories you burn,\u201d says Dr Greg Potter. \u201cNot a huge amount, but some stimulants do strongly affect energy expenditure.\u201d<\/p>\n

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8. Add spice<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cHot spices such as chilli and hot peppers will also have the same effect,\u201d says Dr Kinsella. \u201cStudies suggest that as much as 10% of calories are burned through diet-induced thermogenesis.\u201d<\/p>\n

A range of studies<\/a> using a variety of doses of chili intake confirm that its magic ingredients \u2013 especially that \u2018hot kick\u2019 substance capsaicin \u2013 facilitate weight loss and thermogenesis.<\/p>\n

9. Face fats<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Dabbling in fad diets is something you should avoid when it comes to weight loss. But having a shot at a low-carb, high-fat ketogenic diet can contribute to a metabolism surge.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen glycogen stores run low, around 10 to 12 hours after eating, your body turns to fat as an energy source,\u201d explains Dr Mosely. This flips the metabolic switch.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour liver then converts that fat into ketone bodies, which the body uses as fuel. And research shows that people who do a keto diet are more likely to preserve their muscles (and their metabolic rate) as they lose weight.\u201d<\/p>\n

10. Drink more to speed up your metabolism<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Water plays a vital role in processing calories, whereas mild dehydration can slow your metabolism.<\/p>\n

In one study<\/a>, published in JAMA Pediatrics, adults who drank eight or more glasses of water a day burned more calories than those who drank four. To stay hydrated, drink a glass of water before every meal and snack on melons and citrus fruits \u2013 which naturally contain lots of water.<\/p>\n

11. Sleep it off<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Studies<\/a> published in the American Journal of Epidemiology are a wake-up call to those suffering with sleep deprivation. It too can alter the glucose metabolism and hormones involved in regulating metabolism.<\/p>\n

Not getting enough shut-eye reduces leptin levels (leptin is the hormone that makes us feel full) and increases ghrelin. This makes us eat more than we need.<\/p>\n

12. Keep moving to speed up your metabolism<\/strong><\/h3>\n

While your metabolism still ticks over even when you\u2019re sedate, you can raise it even by doing the most basic exercise. Walking instead of taking the bus, cycling on what are usually short car journeys, and holding stand-up meetings all contribute.<\/p>\n

\u201cAny form of exercise has a great effect on hormones,\u201d explains Dr Kinsella. \u201cThe release of growth hormone (GH) is sensitive to exercise. And, increased GH \u2013 released when we exercise \u2013 is thought to contribute to metabolic fuel adaptations when exercising, as well as tissue repair afterwards.\u201d<\/p>\n

13. Supplement with natural extracts<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cAshwagandha and ayurveda natural extracts \u2013 that have been around for thousands of years \u2013 can help with metabolic burn,\u201d says Dr Greg Potter.<\/p>\n

\u201cResearch suggests that when people consume extracts of ashwagandha for several weeks, in conjunction with doing resistance training, they grow muscle tissue and gain strength faster than people who take placebo\u201d \u2013 adding to overall metabolic burn.<\/p>\n

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14. Hit the bar<\/strong><\/h3>\n

University of California researchers discovered eating chocolate \u2013 the dark stuff with at least 70% cocoa content \u2013 triggered a spike in the metabolism of some lucky human guinea pigs.<\/p>\n

The key ingredient isn\u2019t hazelnuts or nougat, though, it\u2019s the less tasty theobromine, a chemical which can stimulate adrenalin.<\/p>\n

15. Go for protein rich snacks<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Protein-rich snacks (of around 150 calories or less) can keep your metabolism ticking over, burning through fat. Cottage cheese is the recommend protein source from the Florida State University team<\/a>, who looked into such nocturnal metabolic occurrences.<\/p>\n

16. Get your B vitamins to speed up your metabolism<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Having a banana at bedtime is another option. B vitamins play an essential role in the metabolic rate. Some key B vitamins include B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), and B6 (pyridoxine).<\/p>\n

Great natural sources include bananas, baked potatoes and eggs. According to US research, a balance of B vitamins in your diet will support the work carried out by other nutrients \u2013\u00a0including protein \u2013 to keep the fires burning.<\/p>\n

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