One of the major key factors for weight loss and healthy weight maintenance is to increase your basal metabolic rate – the energy your body expends at rest – and to keep your metabolism consistently revved up throughout your lifespan.
While this concept is well known, many struggle to find out how to increase metabolism and how to do so in a natural and consistent manner. Luckily, there are several easy, effective, and natural ways to speed up metabolism, lose weight, and keep it off.
Just follow these easy rules and you too can achieve your weight loss goals!
1) Snack right
Snacking can help jump-start your energy-burning mechanism by giving the body a fuel boost and can help to avoid the overeating syndrome that often leads to weight gain. Try including healthy carbohydrates and protein in each snack such as: peanut butter and an apple. The protein/carbohydrate combination help regulate blood sugar, energy levels and feelings of satiety.
2) Consume adequate amounts of B vitamins and magnesium
B vitamins are key players in metabolism. Inadequate amounts of B6, B12, folate, thiamin and niacin can slow the body’s metabolism, lead to weight gain, and increase your risk for chronic diseases. Foods high in the B’s include: spinach, asparagus, beans, melon, broccoli, fish, poultry and eggs.
Magnesium is a mineral needed by every cell in your body and is used in more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body, including energy metabolism. Excellent sources of magnesium include: halibut, nuts, soybeans, whole-grain, oatmeal, and legumes, and dark green leafy vegetables.
3) Eat breakfast
Eating breakfast may increase resting metabolism by 10% and reduce the risk of obesity and diabetes. Make sure it’s a healthy morning with whole-wheat toast and peanut butter or egg whites and vegetables with plain rolled oatmeal.
4) Engage in regular exercise with interval training and strength training
Interval training is a great way to pump up metabolism and make workouts more fun. This can lead to burning more calories and increasing metabolic rate at a faster rate than with your old traditional workout. Resistance training combats the age-related decrease in metabolism and also reduces fat mass and increases muscle mass.
