In the long term, a sensible calorie-controlled diet combined with a healthy exercise regimen is the best way to lose weight. But that doesn’t mean you can’t add a little extra oomph to this basic plan.
Boosting your metabolism means you’ll burn calories more quickly, and this will make weight loss easier, no matter which particular diet plan you decide on. Here are seven everyday ways to do exactly that.
1) Avoid Crash Diets
Crash diets are scientifically shown to be counterproductive. When you deprive your body of food too harshly, it goes into ‘famine’ mode. This means it shuts down your metabolism as much as possible to preserve its precious energy stores. Burning off fat actually becomes more difficult and takes longer.
Even worse, when you do eat again, you’ll be ravenous and your brain won’t tell you to stop eating until you’ve more than made up for your previous lack of food.
2) Snack Carefully
In a similar way, its better to graze on healthy, low-fat foods throughout the day rather than saving up your calorie allowance for one huge meal in the evening. Your body will quickly get used to this routine, giving your metabolism a continual boost to burn energy much more evenly and efficiently.
3) Drink Plenty of Water
Drinking enough water is a powerful way to push your metabolism up a gear. Try to drink at least eight glasses a day, and give your system a kick start by downing a glass of heavily iced water first thing in the morning. This will drop your core body temperature, and your metabolism will rise to counteract this, with the fat-burning effect lasting for hours.
4) Sleep Properly
Getting enough sleep is essential for regulating the hormones that govern your metabolism. When you’re tired, your whole body slows down to save energy, and this includes your metabolic rate. It may be an exaggeration to say you can lose weight just by sleeping, but it certainly helps as part of a larger effort.
5) Eat Spicy Food
Foods containing spices such as chili and ginger kick your system into gear and spark your metabolism into action. If you’ve a taste for spicy food, raise the heat levels as much as you feel comfortable with to make the most of this.
Spicy food also provides a more satisfying feeling in the mouth and stomach, making you feel fuller after less food.
6) Aerobic Exercise
Regular aerobic exercise such as brisk walking, jogging, or swimming will help keep your body ticking over at a faster rate. Get into the habit of doing this as often as you can.
7) Build Muscle
But exercise which builds muscle is important too. The more lean muscle you have, the more calories your body needs to burn just to keep going. You don’t need to become a body builder, but replacing flab with muscle both makes you look slimmer and speeds up your weight loss.
Losing weight takes willpower and effort, but the process is easier and the results last longer if you work with your body. Taking these steps to raise your metabolism makes your body a powerful ally in your diet, and not an enemy to struggle against.
