The higher the metabolism, the more calories we spend and the less fat we store. As part of weight loss, it is therefore very important to boost it. Here are some tips for doing this.
As a reminder, metabolism is the set of chemical reactions occurring in cells through which the body transforms what we consume into energy. There are two types: the basic metabolism (MB), or basal, and the active mechanism.
The basic metabolism corresponds to the energy that we spend daily at rest to ensure vital functions (breathing, digestion, brain functioning, maintaining body temperature, etc.). It depends on gender, age, height, and weight.
On average, the basal metabolism for a man is 1,500 calories and for a woman, 1,300 calories per day. As for the mechanism of action, it corresponds to the increase in the body’s energy requirement during physical exercise.
Workout More
To naturally stimulate your metabolism, there’s nothing like regularly practising a sustained-intensity sporting activity. For good reason, sports, and more precisely, bodybuilding exercises, increase muscle volume. The more muscle mass we have, the more we increase the speed of metabolism because the muscles will become more energy-consuming. The body will burn calories not only during exercise but also at rest.
Consume Protein
On the menu side, you should focus on foods rich in protein, such as poultry, eggs, fish and dairy products. In addition to the fact that proteins help build and maintain muscle fibres, they require a lot of energy to be digested and assimilated, much more than fats.
Don’t Skip Meals
To speed up our “burning machine”, we must also make sure to eat at set times and not skip meals. When you break your usual eating cycle, your metabolism slows down. If the body receives less food, it will begin to save energy, expend fewer calories, and store more fat.
Drink Enough Water
You should also drink enough water (around 2 litres per day), mainly between meals. According to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, drinking 500 ml of water (two large glasses) helps temporarily increase the metabolism rate by around 30%. Additionally, water promotes the feeling of fullness and can calm a craving.
Avoid Sugar
If you want to give your metabolism a good boost, it is important to control your cravings for sweet foods. Consumed in excess, simple sugars cause the production of insulin, a hormone that promotes fat storage and, therefore, weight gain. They prefer complex carbohydrates, which, during digestion, require almost as much effort as proteins.
Sleep Well
Lack of sleep has harmful effects on metabolism. A night that is too short and of poor quality can cause an increase in ghrelin, the hormone that triggers hunger, and a decrease in leptin, the satiety hormone. Between overeating and fatigue, we are, in fact, less active and our metabolism drops.
Add Thermogonic Foods
Consume green tea for its catechins and caffeine, chilli peppers for their capsaicin, coffee for its stimulating effect, and ginger for its thermogenic properties in order to increase your energy expenditure and promote fat burning.
