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6 Ways to Improve Metabolism – 7 Factors Affecting Metabolism

Metabolism

Metabolism is the process by which your body converts what you eat and drink into energy. Metabolism is often used in fat loss and weight gain, the higher the metabolism, the faster one will lose fat.

What affects metabolism?

1. Muscle mass: Muscle requires more energy to function than fat. More the amount of muscle mass you are carrying the more energy your body needs. The more calories get burnt, the faster will be your metabolism.

2. Activity: Exercising, playing or any kind of physical activity burns calories. If you are a person who is active enough, you will have a good metabolism.

3. Outside temperature: Environmental changes such as heat or cold makes the body to work harder to maintain its normal temperature. There will be fluctuation in metabolic rate due to this change.

4. Diet: The type of food you eat has a major impact on your metabolism. Protein-rich foods boost metabolism because they require more energy to digest than fat or carb.

5. Body size: The bigger your body is bigger the muscles and organs inside. It takes more energy to maintain a big-sized body than a small one. It does not matter if you have a big body or a small body, what matters is your level of fitness. 

6. Age: Metabolic rate gradually starts to decrease as a person grows old. This is because of some hormonal changes and loss of muscle size.

7. Drugs: Drugs like Caffeine and Nicotine increases metabolism. Whereas some drugs like antidepressants may lower metabolism and contribute to weight gain.

How do you get a fast metabolism?

1. Increase protein intake:

Eating meals at a slightly high frequency increases the metabolism. Food in your stomach gives the bodywork to digest.

Eating food can increase the metabolism for a few hours, which is called the thermic effect of food(TEF). This is caused because there is a need for energy to digest absorb and process the nutrients in the meal. 

Having protein-rich food causes the highest TEF that increases the metabolic rate by 15-30%. And protein takes more time to digest which means you will feel full for a longer time.

Eating more protein during weight loss or fat loss is also beneficial because protein reduces muscle loss and helps to increase metabolism.

Beans, nuts, sprouts, seeds, lentils, dairy products, and eggs are protein-rich foods that you can have on a daily basis. These foods also have certain vitamins and minerals that are required for our body.

2. HIIT, High-intensity workouts:

HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) is the training that involves intense and quick exercises having the very little interval between them. This increases the fat-burning process thereby increasing the metabolism.

HIIT training consists of mostly bodyweight exercises like sprints, running, jumping jacks, and other similar exercises. Try these workout sessions, you will definitely increase your metabolism. (1)

These high-intensity workouts keep the heart-healthy. They also help in increasing lung capacity and increasing oxygen levels.

3. Weight training:

Weight training is one of the best when it comes to increasing metabolism. The intensity of weight training is often higher than bodyweight exercises. Weight training also increases testosterone levels thereby increasing muscle mass and reducing stress and fatigue.

A high metabolism means burning more calories, which will happen by lifting heavy. A proper diet is essential while doing weight training.

After the workout sessions, the muscles need to regain energy and build the broken tissues. Without a proper diet that is rich in nutrients, one may not get profound results.

4. Active lifestyle:

A lifestyle that is not active will definitely have negative effects attached to it such as obesity, high cholesterol, low muscle mass, low energy, poor bone health, etc.

Activities should be a part of daily life such as running, walking, playing a sport, exercising, dancing, or any other that one may be interested in. (2)

Problems such as poor immune system, improper blood supply, inflammation, hormonal imbalance, etc. if you are not active enough. (3) 

Get involved in household activities like gardening, cleaning, washing vehicles, clothes, dishes, and sweeping the floor. It will keep your house and surrounding clean, and keep you fit.

5. Drink green tea:

Green tea is found to increase metabolism by 4-5%. Green tea is often used during fat loss programs because it burns more fat by converting the fat into fatty acids. 

Green tea also has antioxidant properties. It has been found to increase brain function and keep you active because of the caffeine content in it.

Drinking green tea can help you lose weight and reduce your risk of several diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

6. Improve sleep quality:

Sleep is the most important health measure that nobody is concerned about in the new generation. Sleep deprivation is a major cause of slow metabolism and obesity. 

If you are sleep-deprived, you may feel hungry more often than if you get a proper amount of sleep because it increases the hunger hormone and reduces the fullness hormone.

Try to get an adequate amount of sleep to be healthy. Adults 18 or above should sleep 7 or more hours. The highest amount of fat burn happens during sleep. If you do not get enough sleep, your metabolism will drop due to which fat will also increase.

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