Credit to image used in pin goes to Max Pixel. Changes were made to the original image.
When learning how to increase your metabolism and kill weight gain for good, a lot of us want a silver bullet.
But there isn’t just one thing that’ll give your metabolic rate a boost. In fact, you need to make multiple lifestyle changes if you really want to see an increase in your body’s energy use.
It’s all about simple lifestyle modifications and daily activities that’ll help boost your energy expenditure. And yes, your genetic makeup does play a role, but the things you do on a daily basis will definitely have an effect on your health.
So if you’re trying to figure out how to boost your metabolism, then here are some quick tips to help you out.
In This Article:
Well-Known Ways to Increase Metabolism
1. Water and Sleep
If you drink a certain amount of water (cold water specifically) throughout the day, you might be able to give your metabolism a nice boost.
And when you get enough sleep (8 hours), your body has a higher metabolic rate. Too much or too little really isn’t good for you.
2. Eat Breakfast
It turns out that skipping breakfast might not be helping you in the way you thought it was. In fact, having breakfast every single day helps to increase your cardio-metabolic rate.
So make sure you’re grabbing a healthy high-protein meal first thing in the day.
3. Don’t Eat Late in the Day
Having a late dinner can actually harm your weight loss goals and metabolic rate.
So make sure you’re having dinner earlier on in the evening so you can maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Lesser-Known Ways to Increase Metabolism
4. Coffee Before Exercise
If you’re a coffee drinker, then this is probably great news for you!
As stated in a study, “a moderate dose of caffeine was found to be effective in increasing the fat oxidation rate during prolonged and submaximal-intensity exercise.”
So before you hit the gym or start doing at-home exercises, try drinking cup of coffee without any creamer or sweetener.
5. Healthy Fats
Fats are something you should always have in your diet.
It was found in randomized controlled trials that the “Mediterranean diet enriched with either nuts or extra-virgin olive oil produced cardiometabolic benefits including improvements in insulin sensitivity, cholesterol, inflammation, and vascular reactivity, and reductions in myocardial infarction, stroke and cardiovascular death.”
So while you should always keep unhealthy fats to a minimum, taking in healthy fats on a regular basis should never be skipped.
6. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
Now if you’re looking for a way to speed up your metabolism and be more active, then you might want to try high-intensity interval training, or HIIT.
It’s been shown to help you burn more calories while also indirectly speeding up your metabolism.
7. Stand up More
Did you know that sitting too much can be pretty bad for your health?
In fact, sedentary behaviors have been said to “have wide-ranging adverse impacts on the human body including increased all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease mortality, cancer risk, and risks of metabolic disorders such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and dyslipidemia; musculoskeletal disorders such as arthralgia and osteoporosis; depression; and, cognitive impairment.”
So instead, try to stand up at work or even at home regularly so you can increase your metabolic rate and live a healthier lifestyle.
Grace Moser is the author and founder of Chasing Foxes, where she writes articles to help women create a life they love in big and small ways. She's been a full-time traveler since 2016 and loves sharing her experiences and exploring the world with her husband, Silas. Her lifestyle and travel advice can also be seen on sites such as Business Insider, Glamour, Newsweek, Huffpost, & Apartment Therapy.
Ten minute cold bath or shower helps
Thanks Crystal. 🙂