You may have heard stories about people who have lost dozens of pounds simply switching their diet soda or walking a few extra minutes each day. These were are all small changes in habits that contributed to a big difference and increased their metabolism over time.
You can increase your weight loss goal quicker and easier by increasing your metabolic rate and burning more calories.
I have listed a few tips below, that I think will help to get you started.
1) Move More
Sedentary people burn about one-third less calories per day. By simply taking every opportunity to move can make quite a dramatic difference to the amount of calories you burn in one day. Small movements will add up over time to lots of calories.
The trick is to keep moving throughout your day. Write the word move on post-it notes and put them in places you will notice them when you are sitting still. Try a few of these while sitting still:
- Tap your feet
- Swing your legs
- Stand up and stretch
- Move your head from side to side
- Change position
- Wiggle and fidget
- Pace up and down
- Use the restroom upstairs
- Park in the furthest corner of the parking lot
- Stand up while on the phone and step from side to side
- Clench and release your muscles
2) Eat Little and Often
Evidence suggests that eating small meals every 2-4 hours will keep your metabolism burning faster than larger, less frequent meals. When you eat small amounts often your body is constantly working to digest and absorb food which requires energy.
3) Eat Fat
If you want to feel good and keep the fat off you need to first put it in. Fat not only tastes good, our bodies need it to work efficiently. By consuming several servings of healthy fats every day you will actually increase your calorie burning potential.
Try incorporating fats like Flaxseed oil, hempseed oil, olive oil, avocados, salmon, albacore tuna, nuts and seeds into your diet daily.
4) Drink Cold Water
Evidence shows that your body might expend more calories trying to raise cold water to the temperature of your body then hot beverages, and being well hydrated will help your body metabolic processes burn quicker.
5) Exercise With Weights
Training with weights boosts your metabolism in a number of ways. By lifting weights you will build muscle tissue, and muscle tissue is metabolically active, so it requires calories even when at rest and helps to increase fat-burning enzymes in your body.
6) Spice up
Eating hot spices might speed up your metabolism. Just half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day can help boost metabolism and keep blood sugar levels in check. Cant stand the thought of cinnamon in your morning cup of coffee? Spice up with cayenne, crushed red pepper or wasabi instead.
7) Eat More Protein
Protein requires a more complex chemical breakdown by your body in order to be digested and used as fuel. For example, 100 calories of protein may take up to 30 calories to process. Protein also takes longer to digest and helps to stabilize blood sugar for longer periods of time and this can help you to not overeat later in the day.
By eating a portion of protein at every meal and as part of your snacks, you can increase the total number of calories you burn each day.
This article is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is not to be used in place of, or in conjunction with, professional medical advice or any doctors recommendation. Prior to beginning any weight loss program, individuals must consult a physician for proper diagnosis and/or treatment.
