5 Effective Natural Ways To Boost Your Slow Metabolism
Metabolism is the rate at which your body burns calories to convert them into energy. Your metabolism rate affects your health because it’s your body’s method of manufacturing energy and also impacts how quickly you lose or gain weight. Once it slows down, your body will undergo changes that can negatively affect your quality of living.
Various factors influence the metabolism rate, such as genetics, age, sex, muscle mass, and activity levels. A slow metabolism can cause excessive weight gain, which increases your risk of body weight-related conditions. In addition, it exposes you to risks of diabetes and other life-changing medical conditions.
It’s important to note that you can’t totally control your metabolism since genetics is a factor that affects it. However, you can still do things to manage it to help yourself be healthy. With that in mind, here are effective and natural ways to boost your metabolism.
1 – Increase your protein intake
Protein is a helpful nutrient for boosting your metabolism rate. It does so through a process called thermogenesis, in which your body uses about 10% of its calorie intake for digestion. Protein also takes longer to burn than fat, which makes your body use more energy to absorb its nutrients.
An easy and appealing way of increasing your regular protein intake is adding whey protein powder to your smoothies. According to a study, whey had greater fat oxidation and thermal effect. Fat oxidation is the process of breaking down fatty acids, while the thermal effect provides the body with extra energy for burning calories.
2 – Eat smaller meals throughout the day
It may sound counterintuitive, but adding smaller meals to your diet can help fasten your metabolism. A study expounds how eating multiple small meals spread throughout the day can keep your metabolism active. Hence, even a reputable Kansas City weight loss facility won’t stop you from doing it, just as long as you continue to eat healthily.
You can integrate the first point in this one by eating and drinking protein in your small meals. For example, you can try six small meals with a total of 300 calories each. Furthermore, smaller meals throughout the day can help maintain your sugar levels to prevent an insulin spike that may lead to weight gain.
3 – Drink coffee
Except for having a caffeine allergy, you should drink coffee. Chalk this up as another benefit people can gain from consuming caffeine. However, to increase your metabolism rate, the coffee you drink must fit the necessary health standards.
Your coffee must have reduced amounts of syrup and cream, or it shouldn’t have either. Coffee is a great source of energy and can improve energy levels during exercise. It helps you work harder and longer, which enhances your body’s fat-burning capability.
4 – Sleep in lower temperatures
Sleeping in a cool room won’t only help you rest better, but it also improves your metabolism. Sleeping at a low temperature increases the percentage of brown fat in your body. Brown fat is a special type of body activated when you get cold and also has more mitochondria than white fat.
Mitochondria help in burning calories and deliver the energy your body gets from fat to your cells. Brown fat contains more mitochondria, which makes your metabolism active even while you’re sleeping. Sleeping in light clothing and reducing your bedroom temperature can double the amount of brown fat in about four weeks.
5 – Build more muscle
Just by increasing your muscle mass you can effectively increase your metabolism. Muscle is vascular (has veins) and requires energy to maintain, unlike body fat. The more muscle you have, the more energy it requires to maintain. So, by simply building more muscle, you can effectively increase your metabolism!
Improving your metabolism doesn’t take a lot of work. Instead, it takes adjusting your lifestyle accordingly to prevent quickly gaining excessive body weight. Watching what you eat and adding healthier options to your diet are some of the things you can do.
You don’t have to adopt all of these ways at once, only the ones you’re comfortable with. Start easy and slowly, and then gradually include other ways, and you’ll feel the improvements in a matter of time.
Though not a medical professional, Hodge Racter knows a lot about medical topics, including testosterone replacement therapy (having undergone the procedure himself). Today, he remains spry and energetic despite his age, and on his free days, he spends time with his wife and two dogs.
Choosing a Safe and Successful Weight Loss Program
Weight Gain is a major concern among many of the adults and millennials in the modern world. To remedy it, there are a lot of weight loss programs offered to help you reduce the excess weight. We often see different programs through magazines, TV, newspapers, radio, and websites that promise to help you lose weight. These programs often include a combination of a diet plan and exercise activity to help you lose weight.
Now, there are different weight loss programs available to follow that caters to certain individuals. If you are interested in losing extra weight but don’t know which weight loss program is best for you, then this post will guide you in choosing the right one.
Before beginning your weight loss journey, it is essential that you talk to your doctor. You might have a medical condition that restricts you from doing a certain exercise. Or you might not able to follow certain diet-plan due to medication. So, it is important that you consult with your doctor before beginning any new diet or exercise program.
You will also get important information regarding your optimal BMI, weight, and other health-related information from your doctor or health-care professional that will help you to choose the right weight-loss program for you.
Things to Consider in a Weightloss Program
There are a variety of factors that composite a good weight loss program. A single weight-loss plan will not be suitable for everyone as it will change upon an individual’s need. To choose a diet plan that will meet with your liking, you should consider the following things:
Cost and Time
Some weight-loss programs are much more costly than others as they demand you to buy certain exercise equipment and meals. Some weight-loss programs also include visiting clinics and support meetings. So, you need to spend your time when you follow these types of weight loss plans.
If you have time and money, then you can choose any premium weight loss program. However, if you have limited time and budget, then you should definitely try a different weight loss plan as it may interfere with your day-to-day life.
Your current health condition also affects how you choose the weight-loss program.
If you are on daily medication or have any condition that restricts you from following a certain diet, then you should choose your weight-loss program carefully. For example, some people cannot run for long or lift heavy weights because of certain cardiac or bone conditions. So, they should carefully choose their weight loss program as it may interfere with their condition.
As mentioned earlier, it is best to consult with your doctor before choosing a weight loss program.
There are different diet-plans present in different weight-loss programs. You should pick one that suits you best.
A flexible diet-plan has food items from all food groups and doesn’t restrict you from having certain food types. It is good for people who are new to weight loss programs and young people.
A balanced diet plan is like flexible dieting but puts restrictions on how much you can intake certain food items. It is a safe and healthy diet-plan and is suitable for young and older people alike.
Other plans like high-protein, low carbohydrates, low fat, and low calories include a severe restriction on certain food types. It will give you a rapid weight loss than the aforementioned types, but you should choose carefully as they do not suit everyone.
Some other factors that you should consider are the risks and the success of the different weight loss programs. Some programs will have inherent risks but may give you quick success in reducing weight. While others don’t have high risks or good success.
You should do some research behind the science and technique of each weight loss program. Then choose the one that you think is best for you.
The experts at the Mayo Clinic have created a popular weight loss program that is suitable for most people. It includes good guidelines to lose excess weight along with living a sustainable life.
You should follow this plan if you intend to live a healthy lifestyle and have a diet that sticks with you for life.
The two main parts of this program are the losing and living phase. The losing phase happens for the first two weeks where you lose up to 5 kilograms by modifying your diet. The living phase helps you to keep your optimal weight permanently. It is a lifelong approach.
The Mayo Clinic diet plan encourages you to have a good amount of healthy foods that are low on calories such as fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain meals. You also get lean protein food items like fish, unsaturated-fats, etc.
The thing to know is that this food-plan doesn’t eliminate any food items for you to have. You can eat everything but in certain portions.
Also, this plan also encourages you to do at least 30 minutes of exercise every day. You should also be active throughout your day like taking stairs instead of the lift, etc.
By following this plan, you not only get to reduce your weight, but you also reduce your chances of developing chronic health conditions; such as diabetes, heart-related problems, high cholesterol, High Blood Pressure, etc.
This plan is one of the most practical and sustainable weight-loss programs for all that you can follow all your life.
When you’re dieting, it’s always recommended to track your weight using weighing scales.
2. Intermittent Fasting
This diet-plan is now the most popular among the young generation. Intermittent fasting includes a time period throughout the day where you can eat and then fast for the rest.
There are different forms of Intermittent fasting that exist today based on the time periods and calories such as 16/8, 5:2, etc.
In the 16/8 method, you can only eat for 8 hours per day and continue fasting for the other 16 hours per day.
In the 5:2 method, you should only take around 500-600 calories for 2 days per week and continue your normal diet for the rest of the days.
By restricting the time and calories that you should intake, Intermittent fasting works well in reducing your weight. If you don’t eat too much in the rest of the time, you can see significant weight loss by following this program.
Studies show that intermittent fasting can reduce up to 8 percent of your weight in just 5-6 months. It can also reduce your belly fat, which is the most harmful fat in our body, by 4-7%.
Research into the intermittent fasting also shows that it can improve your mental health, increase your insulin sensitivity, and reduce inflammation.
Intermittent fasting is a popular weight-loss plan with a lot of health benefits. But it also has its fair share of risks. While it is generally safe for young and healthy people to follow, the same cannot be said for people with a medical condition. People with diabetes, eating disorders, low weight, and pregnant women should talk with their health care professional before following this diet.
3. Paleo Diet
Another popular weight loss program along with intermittent fasting is the paleo diet. It follows the principle of eating foods that our ancestors took before they developed agriculture to lead a healthy life.
Weight gain along with the chronic diseases that plague the modern world can be linked to modern processed foods. If you avoid these foods, then your weight automatically reduces.
In the paleo diet, you get to eat food that is rich in lean protein such as meat, nuts, and seeds; along with different fruits and vegetables. You also limit the food that is processed and rich in calories such as sugar, dairy, etc.
Now, there are different versions of the paleo diet available that includes and restricts different food categories. But overall, following the paleo diet, reduces the number of calories you intake every day.
Studies show that by following the paleo diet, one can significantly reduce their weight along with harmful belly fat. As you intake only foods that are rich in proteins, you get to reduce the risk of developing heart-related problems, high cholesterol, and diabetes.
Like Intermittent fasting, the Paleo diet has risks for some people. People who have kidney problems or other related conditions cannot intake high-amount of calories. So, they should consult with their doctor before following this diet.
It also restricts you to have whole grain and dairy that are healthy and nutritious.
4. Plant-Based Diet
In a plant-based vegetarian diet, you are restricted to have anything outside of plant-related food items.
Foods such as meat, dairy, eggs, honey, and other animal-derived products are restricted in this diet. Plant-based items such as whole grains, vegetables, and fruits are encouraged in this diet.
This diet works well in reducing weight as it contains food that is high in fiber and starch. It keeps your stomach full for a long time, thus reducing the number of calories you intake every day.
Studies too show that people who follow a vegan diet can reduce their weight significantly while also reducing their risk of having heart problems, diabetes, and other chronic conditions.
While the plant-based diet is safe for everyone, you get to lose nutrients such as Vitamin B12, D, calcium, zinc, iodine, etc that are exclusively found in animal-derived products.
5. Low Carb & Low Fat Diets
Low carb and Low fat diet-plans have been popular for decades because of the results they provide in reducing excess weight.
The Low Carbohydrate Diet focuses on intaking a high amount of proteins and fats while limiting foods that have carbs.
Studies have shown that these diet plans are good in reducing your weight; especially the harmful belly fat. They can also reduce your risk of developing heart disease, high cholesterol, high Blood Pressure, and diabetes.
While these diet plans are generally considered safe and good for everyone, they are not suited for all. While some may feel good on the low carbohydrate or low-fat diet, others may feel miserable.
6. Ketogenic (High-Fat) Diet
The Ketogenic Diet is a high-fat, moderate-protein, and low-carb diet plan. The Keto Diet mainly restricts carbohydrates and is best for those with carb or sugar addictions. Learn More >>
When you’re dieting, it’s always recommended to track your weight using weighing scales.
You have to understand that there is no perfect weight loss plan that works for everyone. So, you should carefully consider all the factors and choose the one that suits you best. We hope you got some information on choosing a successful weight loss program to live a long healthy life.
Weight loss is simple. It just takes dedication and time! Yet, how to lose weight and keep it off for years to come is something few people truly know how to do. Some people believe it’s all diet, and some focus all on exercise. While others think they need special supplements to burn fat. Overall, diet and exercise together are the best. However, it’s vital that you do the “right” diet and exercise combo if you want real results. So let’s get started on teaching you the keys to fat burning and losing weight, the right way.
If you’re looking to Burn Fat and Lose Weight, then you’ve come to the right place!
Provided below is all the information you need to learn how to lose weight, the right way. So, get ready to transform your body forever!
Weight Loss Basics
Unfortunately, there is no magic pill for weight loss, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be as hard as many people make it out to be.
Weight loss can be simple! You just have to work at it, and simple things can make a big difference! So let’s get started!
What most people want to do when losing weight or getting leaner is lose body fat while maintaining, or even increasing, muscle mass. This helps to give an aesthetic look that shows off the muscle you have already built. However, oftentimes people try to lose weight too fast and actually end up decreasing their muscle mass.
Overall, lowering body weight is an easy concept to understand. You just have to eat fewer calories than you expend daily. However, if you also want to maintain your hard-earned muscle, then you need to be careful about how you go about your weight loss.
The problem is our body does not care how we look. It just wants to survive and, unless properly stimulated, body fat is more valuable to survival than muscle.
This is because muscle is energy costing from both activity and being vascular (has blood vessels). These characteristics of muscle make it difficult to maintain compared to body fat which is stored energy that can be used for survival when needed. This poses a problem for those trying to maintain their muscle while losing weight, but there is a solution…strength training!
Exercise
Of course, you can do long cardio sessions and burn off a ton of calories, but think of this…
What this means is that by doing a cardio workout you will burn calories during and after the session, but the effects will wear off within 24-48 hours, depending on the intensity. Then you have to do another session to get a similar caloric burn.
When building muscle, you are increasing your Basal Metabolic Rate to where you burn calories all day, every day.
Of course, strength training and cardiovascular training should be used in combination to present the greatest results. Just remember not to be stuck on one thing or the other.
For your diet, to lose weight and allow for the least muscle loss, you must make only small, incremental changes over an extended period of time.
You should start by being in a 200-500 calorie deficit daily while training regularly, in order to start losing weight. Only drop another 200-500 calories per day after that has stopped working with your current workload.
If you cut out too many calories too fast, then you will lose muscle and plateau your results.
So, start slow and make gradual changes to your diet and exercise.