Boosting Your Metabolism

Boosting Metabolism Overview

Metabolism is simply the amount of energy, or calories, your body needs to sustain itself. And the higher your metabolism is, the less likely you are to have excess body fat. In fact, increasing your body's metabolism is one very effective way to lose weight.

Your body uses calories for everything. It uses calories to process and digest foods you eat, it uses calories to maintain body muscles, keep your heart pumping, make your organs function properly, and even to make your hair and nails grow. And when your body uses more calories than it consumes, you can of course lose weight.

Now, there are many ways to boost your body's metabolism. In general, the healthier your body is, the better it will utilize the calories you consume. In fact, with proper nutrition and exercise, your body's metabolism rates can actually be increased enough to allow you to be able to eat almost anything you want, within reason of course.

People who restrict their calorie intake severely actually lower the body's metabolism though, and this is a phenomenon many people have a difficult time understanding or believing. When you severely restrict your caloric intake, the body automatically decreases its energy expenditures to the bare minimum, because it thinks you're starving. So one easy way to start boosting your metabolism, is to continuously feed your body.

When we say continuously feed your body, we don't mean that you should nibble on junk food all day long. You should eat every three to four hours, but it should be more healthy foods which force your body to work harder when processing them.

Protein for instance, takes more work for your body to digest and process. Many raw fruits and vegetables are the same. And when the foods you eat force your body to work harder at processing them, you automatically boost your metabolism just with that one small change.

Exercise is another way to boost your metabolism, particularly if you build and tone your body's muscles. Muscles take more energy for the body to maintain, so you automatically burn more calories, and have a higher metabolism, when you have more toned muscle on your body.

Boosting your metabolism not only helps you lose weight though, it also helps give you more energy. Essentially when you start working to increase your body's metabolism, you are teaching it that you need more energy throughout the day. And since it's using more energy to keep you maintained, it will step up the process and actually provide you with more energy too.

Metabolism & Weight Loss

Boosting your metabolism is one of the best ways to lose weight. Unfortunately, many people don't understand how metabolism actually works within the body, so they take steps which actually decrease their metabolism, and sabatoge their weight loss efforts.

If you think about your body as a machine, it might help you understand how things work a little better. If you were to try to save money on gas for your car by mixing water into the tank, the car wouldn't run well... if it ran at all, right? The same concepts apply to your body. Many people have been taught that the only way to lose weight is to reduce the amount of calories they eat each day. So they assume if they reduce the calories enough, they'll automatically lose weight. This isn't how it works though.

When you reduce your calorie intake too severely, you simply cause your body to not run well. Unlike your car or any other machine though, the body is quite smart. And it's determined to make sure you stay alive at all costs. So when you restrict your calories too severely, the body responds by going into something of a hibernation mode. It works to conserve as many of those calories it can, and it does this by reducing your metabolism. And when your body's metabolism is low of course, it won't be burning calories too fast, so it doesn't matter that you've drastically reduced the calories you eat because the body is now using much less than it was before.

You can force your body to use more calories though, just by being more active. And this is why every single weight loss plan or diet pill out there says you'll see the best results if you combine exercise into your daily routine. What many people don't seem to realize though, is that by simply increasing their daily activities, they don't technically have to reduce their calorie intake. Reducing calories and increasing activity at the same time will of course help you lose weight faster though.

Another thing people don't realize is that it's theoretically possible to "eat your way slim". Because the foods you eat can increase or decrease your body's metabolism, you can choose to eat foods which are constantly making your body work harder at all hours of the day and night.

Eating every few hours for instance, will keep your body continuously working on digesting foods. If those foods also take more work to digest, then the body will be expending calories for hours if you give it the right foods. Proteins, fruits and raw vegetables for instance, take the most energy for your body to digest. Simple starches and sugars require little to no energy at all, so limiting those is usually best when you're trying to boost your metabolism and lose weight.

Boosting Foods

One of the easiest ways to boost your metabolism is to change how you eat. As discussed previously, simply reducing calories alone will not help most people lose much weight. If you reduce your calories and increase your daily activity at the same time though, you can start losing the weight you want. Changing the foods you eat though, can often allow you to not have to worry about the calorie content of those foods, because these foods start helping to boost your metabolism naturally on their own.

For most people, changing the way they eat often has the side effect of reducing the calories they take in too. The real results though, come from the boost these food changes can give to your body.

As mentioned previously, some types of food take more energy for your body to process and digest than others. And anything that takes more energy for your body to do automatically increases your metabolism, because the body is uses calories for energy. So the increased energy needs for digestion are found in the form of calories in the body.

Protein is one form of food that the body spends more energy digesting and processing inside your body. In fact, sometimes it can take over 24 hours for your body to digest one protein rich meal. That's twenty four hours of ongoing work and energy expenditure. Compare this to a meal which is very high in simple carbohydrates and starches, which your body might only need a few hours to digest, and you'll start seeing the differences in how the foods you eat can boost your body's metabolism.

Foods high in fiber are also foods which your body must work harder at digesting and processing. This is why fruits and vegetables, particularly raw ones, help boost your metabolism. Your body must work hard to extract the vitamins and nutrition from the fiber substance of those foods, so it's spending more energy in the form of calories to do so.

Some people even believe there are foods you can eat which will take more energy for your body to digest than the food contains in calories to begin with. Celery for instance, or raw broccoli, are said to take more calories for your body to digest than those foods actually contain. These are often referred to as negative calorie foods.

Now the other way food can help boost your metabolism is by adjusting both the timing and amounts of foods you eat at once. When you eat a large meal all at once, you often find yourself tired soon after. This is because your body has so much work to do with digesting all that food, that it doesn't have the energy to maintain other things as well.

So, by simply reducing the amount of foods you eat in one sitting, but increasing the number of times you eat throughout the day, you can boost your body's metabolism and keep your energy levels up at the same time. Instead of eating two or three large meals a day for instance, try eating small meals or snacks five or six times a day instead.

Instead of having a full sandwich at lunchtime for instance, try eating just half the sandwich around noon, then the other half around 3pm. Alternatively, have your whole sandwich at noon if you're hungry, then eat a spoonful of peanut butter a few hours later. You can have your peanut butter with an apple slice or celery stick if you want too, or you can have a handful of nuts and raisins instead of peanut butter.

The point is: Work in some smaller protein and fiber rich snacks through the day, and try not to eat such big meals all in one sitting.

Boosting Exercises

Another excellent way to boost your body's metabolism is to simply tone and build your muscle mass. This is why everywhere you turn these days, you're being told to exercise. Muscles burn more calories than fat does. In fact, people with toned and firmed muscles will actually burn more calories sitting and watching TV, reading a book, or even sleeping.

Many people mistakenly think they need to build a lot of large muscle mass in order for it to do them any good, but this is simply not the case. It is true that the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism is likely to be. But even toning and firming your muscles makes a big difference with boosting your body's metabolism. And there are many activities which create very strong, toned muscles which are not big and bulky too.

If you've ever paid attention to dancers or runners for instance, and yoga instructors too. These athletes don't usually have big, bulky muscles, yet they are still quite strong. In fact, many of them are much stronger than they look, and they have much longer endurance abilities too. This is because they have very toned and healthy muscle mass, instead of bulk.

So the primary goal where muscles are concerned when you want to boost your body's metabolism, is to simply make them stronger. And there are many ways you can do this too. Using small weights is one way, and resistance training with strong rubber bands is another. For beginners, just using the force of gravity and their own body weight is often an excellent way to get started strengthening your muscles.

Walking is another excellent way to tone and firm your muscles too, and it has the added benefit of getting more oxygen into your body, and getting your blood flowing better as well. Walking doesn't have to be strenuous or take your breath away either. Just walking around a mall "window shopping", or walking around a local jogging track, or even walking around the block your house is on... all of these are excellent ways to get started.

You don't have to walk miles at once either. In fact, if you're really overweight and out of shape, you need to start very slowly. Some people can only walk the few feet from their front door to the sidewalk and back at first. Then they gradually start walking down to the corner and back. Other people of course, can walk several blocks the first day without much effort.

Swimming is another wonderful way to tone your muscles too. In fact, swimming will tone your muscles plus give you a cardio workout too. You can increase the resistance created by the water, and thus work your muscles even harder, by simply wearing a big t-shirt while swimming.

There are of course many other ways to start toning and strengthening your muscles too. The secret to being successful with this, is to simply pick something you enjoy doing. Try yoga if you've been curious about it, or learn to dance. Work in the yard and garden if you enjoy that, or go walking around your local stores and malls. If you like to commune with nature more than people, find a few local hiking trails or park walking paths instead.

Boosting with Herbs

Boosting your metabolism with natural herbs and herbal supplements is an excellent way to get started. Like most of the methods used for boosting your metabolism though, using herbs alone may not give you the full results you want. In fact, most herbs used for boosting metabolism are simply very nutritious herbs which provide you with a wide variety of nutrition and vitamins you may be lacking in your diet. Some herbs however, naturally increase your energy levels.

Most herbs have the added effect of balancing irregularities inside your body too, and improving the overall functionality of all organs. This of course improves your health, which will in turn help to improve your energy levels. And improving your energy levels leads to more activity, which of course leads to boosting your metabolism too. And just in case you haven't caught on by now, this is a circular effect. Boosting the metabolism gives you more energy, which makes you healthier, which gives you more energy, which boosts your metabolism, and so on.

One herb which can specifically help boost your metabolism though, is Kelp. This herb stimulates and regulates your thyroid and all glands in your body. The thyroid is a key component of metabolism though. When your thyroid is not functioning properly, this can result in lower than normal metabolism. By stimulating and regulating that with a daily Kelp supplement, you can boost your body's metabolism naturally.

Kelp is also very high in many essential vitamins and minerals. It's a natural source of iodine too, and this helps your body fight germs and bacteria that can create infections and illnesses. Kelp is very high in calcium, potassium, magnesium, several B vitamins and trace minerals too.

Two other all around nutrition herbs to consider are Alfalfa and Parsley. Parsley is very high in iron and Vitamin C. In fact, it contains three times the vitamin C that citrus does. Parsley also has more iron than any other green vegetable, it's high in chlorophyll, potassium, Vitamin A and Vitamin B too. Alfalfa is another herb very rich in nutrients that help our body's have more energy and health. These include iron, calcium, potassium, carotene, Vitamin K and 8 essential amino acids too.

Cayenne, also known as Capsicum, is a general stimulant herb that's beneficial to all parts of the body. Cayenne is often used with infection fighting herbs because it helps the body start healing faster, but it's wonderful for use as a general stimulant and energy source herb.

Siberian Ginseng is another excellent herb for boosting energy. In fact, this herb will help boost both mental and physical energy, and it can help your body fight against the effects of stress.

Metabolism Boosting Food Tips

When you're ready to start boosting your metabolism, one of the hardest things to figure out might be how to change your food habits. So this article is here to give you some tips and ideas of small changes to your daily diet that can help boost your metabolism.

1. Add more protein. You can have a spoon of peanut butter as a snack, or spread peanut butter on celery or apples. Peanut butter is very high in protein and will help you feel satiated for longer too.

2. If you don't like peanut butter, or it's not convenient to have at certain times of the day, try a handful or two of mixed nuts or trail mix instead. Nuts are very high in protein, so they make a wonderful snack which will force your body to work at processing them, while also helping you to feel full longer.

3. Put some meat and cheese in your salad. Instead of eating just a low calorie vegetable salad for a meal, mix in a bit of protein for a more balanced meal which will boost your metabolism and keep you from feeling hungry longer too. Creating a "sandwich salad" is an excellent approach. Simply create a salad with meat, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, and any other sandwich toppings you might like, and leave out the bread.

4. Try different types of salads. Many people feel like salads are "rabbit food", and they complain it doesn't fill them up or keep them from getting hungry again soon. This problem is caused by making the salads wrong first of all. You need to add some chicken, ham, or other quality protein to your salads regularly. You should also add cheese because it provides both protein and fats, both of which help boost your metabolism and help keep you from feeling hungry longer.

The other salad tip though, is to try new things. Put in some raw broccoli, cauliflower and carrot strips for instance. Maybe mix tuna into a regular salad, and add some boiled eggs too. Try a shrimp or lobster salad if you like seafood, and don't forget to try oriental style salads, and southwestern style salads too. A taco salad for instance, is a wonderful hearty and healthy meal that can keep you full for many hours.

5. It's ok to eat meat for breakfast. You don't have to have cereal, toast or muffins only. In fact, those are some of the worst food choices to start your day with. Try something with more protein such as eggs or left over grilled chicken. If you want something lighter to start the day with, try fruit with yogurt or cottage cheese.

Metabolism Boosting Exercise Tips

Once you've started learning some of the ways to boost your body's metabolism, you want to know what some of the exercise techniques and tips are. Because exercise after all, is one of the best and fastest ways to start boosting your metabolism and losing excess body fat and weight.

Now, anything that tones, firms, and strengthens your muscles is an excellent metabolism boosting exercise. Cardio can help too, because it forces your body to start breaking down extra fats and carbohydrates to supply your body the extra fuel it needs while you're working out. The cardio workouts will keep your metabolism burning for many hours, but the real key is to build some muscle strength. Because with solid, toned muscles in your body, you'll be burning extra calories day and night to maintain them.

I don't particularly like using the word "exercise" myself, because it has such negative connotations in most people's minds. Activity is a much better word though, and that can denote variety as well as fun. When something is fun and keeps you entertained, you're much more likely to do it regularly.

I also strongly recommended getting activity and exercise outside. The fresh air and sunshine can make a world of difference on both your physical and mental energy levels, plus it can seriously increase your mood while decreasing your stress too.

So, if you really want to do some exercise or daily activities that will help boost your metabolism, start with things you enjoy doing. Here are several suggestions...

1. Take a walk. Walking is an excellent way to build your muscles, increase your endurance, get your heart rate up, and relieve stress too. Just being able to step away from the desk for ten or fifteen minutes a day can do wonders for most people, and the added activity and muscle building will help boost your metabolism too.

Easy ways to get some extra walking in include: Walking to lunch instead of driving; Walking around a mall or shopping center; Walking on local nature, jogging, or biking paths; Walking on easy to moderate hiking trails; Walking your kids to school; Walking around the neighborhood where you live. You can even get a dog and walk him several times a day, or simply choose to use the stairs in your office building instead of the elevator.

If you work several floors up and don't feel capable of walking the entire way via stairs, then stop one floor away from your destination, and take the stairs the rest of the way for a week or two. Once you're doing that easily enough, then stop two floors away. Keep increasing this until you're able to take the stairs the entire distance up or down.

2. Yard Work & Gardening. Not everyone likes to do yard work, but for those who do, this can be an excellent activity to help build your muscles and boost your metabolism. Most people don't realize how much physical work actually goes in to simple gardening activities, but if you've ever planted new flowers in a garden bed and then found yourself sore the next day, you know what a great workout this can be for your body.

You don't have to haul around heavy bricks or rocks, or do back breaking ditch digging for this to work. Those activities will help build your muscles and burn calories faster of course, but the simple act of cutting your grass with a regular lawn mower will do the same. As will planting flowers, pulling weeds, and trimming bushes or shrubs.

3. Swimming. This is another fun activity which can really help boost your metabolism when done regularly. And the most enjoyable part is: You don't have to swim laps or do anything specific to get the benefits from it. You can simply go play in a pool with friends or family, and still get tremendous physical benefits for your entire body. When you feel it's time for more of a physical challenge though, try water activities such as treading water, swimming laps, or water aerobics.

Water is a wonderful form of activity for our bodies, because it creates very little impact on our joints. It's also much easier for obese people to exercise in water, because there is less gravity so they're able to move their bodies better. At the same time though, water creates a natural resistance to our movements, which helps dramatically with toning and strengthening our muscles.

4. Interval Training. Interval training is an excellent way to boost your metabolism, because it teaches your body to give you quick burts of energy at any given time. Interval training is the process of alternating between intense activity and slower, more moderate activity. One example is when you're out for a walk, every so often sprint as fast as you can for about thirty seconds, then slow down to a walk again. Do this off and on several times each day, and you'll really boost your metabolism and start burning calories fast.

The human body is smart though. If there is any kind of routine to your interval workouts, the body will catch on quickly and adapt. If for instance, you regularly go out each day and walk for three minutes, sprint for 30 seconds, walk for three minutes again and so on, your body will get used to this routine. And if it gets used to the routine, your weight loss results will slow because the body has adapted.

One way to avoid this is to vary your workouts, but another more natural way is to simply play sports or games you like.

Almost all sports are a natural form of interval work outs. Playing tennis and racquetball for instance, has you standing still and waiting for the ball at times, and bursting into speed and action to catch it at other times. Volleyball and other games played with a net are quite similar.

Basketball, baseball and football also have the same randomness of actions. Sometimes you're just slowly jogging from one place to another, sometimes you're standing at ready for something, and sometimes there's a sudden burst of action and activity.

The biggest benefit though, is that playing sports and games keeps your activities more random, so the body is not able to adapt as quickly and easily. And keeping the body moving in unexpected ways on a regular basis is an excellent way to keep your metabolism at its highest.

Note: Some statements in this article may not be approved by the FDA. This article is for informational purposes only and should not be taken as professional medical advice.

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