What factors effect and improve your metabolism speed? First let’s define metabolism: “In simple terms, metabolism is the internal process by which your body expends energy and burns calories. It runs 24/7 to keep your body moving, even when you're resting or sleeping, by converting the food and nutrients you consume into the energy your body needs in order to breathe, circulate blood, grow and repair cells, and everything else it does to survive.” (Harvard Health) When you work out you are already increasing your metabolic rate but there are a few more ways your can maximize the amount of calories you burn in a day...Read below!
The above picture indicates the average weight of essential body mass to help you better understand what is using up your energy.
1. Water: Studies have shown that drinking 17 oz (0.5 liters) of water increases resting metabolism by 10–30% for about an hour. Make it cold and the feet will be greater as your body uses energy to heat up to body temperature. 2. Caffeine: Green tea and oolong tea have been shown to increase metabolism by 4–5%. These teas help convert some of the fat stored in your body into free fatty acids, which may increase fat burning by 10–17%. As for coffee, Studies have shown that the caffeine in coffee can boost metabolism by 3–11%. In one study, coffee increased fat burning by 29% for lean women, but only 10% for obese women. 3. Age: The older you get, the slower your metabolic rate becomes. This is one of the reasons people tend to gain weight as they age. Metabolic rate generally slows because the ageing process results in a decrease in muscle mass and an increase in the amount of fat stored. 4. Muscle mass: The greater your muscle mass, the more calories you burn. Unlike fat mass, muscle mass significantly increases the number of calories you burn at rest, meaning you can eat more and maintain your weight. One study showed that doing strength exercises for just 11 minutes a day, three times per week, resulted in an average increase of 7.4% in resting metabolic rate after half a year. This translated into an additional 125 calories burned per day. 5. Environmental temperature: When your body is exposed to cold, it needs to burn more calories to prevent your body temperature from falling. Turning down your house thermostat can also increase the energy needed to keep your body at normal temperature. 6. Hormone disorders: Cushing’s syndrome and hypothyroidism slow down metabolic rate and increase the risk of weight gain. The only way to determine this is a blood test, so consult your doctor first. There are appropriate medications and diet types to help with metabolic hormone disorders. You can also take hormone supporting supplements such as Maca Powder, Ashwanga and Fish Oil. 7. Meal Frequency: Eating food can increase your metabolism for a few hours. This is called the thermic effect of food (TEF). It's caused by the extra calories required to digest, absorb and process the nutrients in your meal. The TEF is highest in the morning, or during the first few hours after you wake up. For this reason, eating a large proportion of your daily calories early in the day can maximize the effect. 8. Protein Intake: causes the largest rise in TEF. It increases your metabolic rate by 15–30%, compared to 5–10% for carbs and 0–3% for fats. Eating protein has also been shown to help you feel more full and prevent you from overeating. One small study found that people were likely to eat around 441 fewer calories per day when protein made up 30% of their diet. 9. Standing: Long periods of sitting burn fewer calories and can lead to weight gain. In fact, compared with sitting, an afternoon of standing up at work can burn an extra 174 calories and fidgeting while seated increased calorie expenditure by a whopping 54%.
10. Coconut Oil: In one study, researchers found that medium-chain fats increased metabolism by 12%, compared to long-chain fats, which raised it by just 4%. Due to the unique fatty acid profile of coconut oil, replacing some of your other cooking fats with it may have modest benefits for weight loss.
I hope these tips help you incorporate better habits into your daily routine. You can lose more weight when you have more muscle, so focus hard on lifting weights!
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Xoxo
Leah