Friday, February 1, 2008

11 FREE Tips On How To Boost Your Metabolism


1.Build muscle
Many people especially women are particularly cautious about undertaking any exercise routine that can lead to muscle building. This is because there is the old perception that “muscle building leads to muscle bulking”. However, this is not true provided that women don’t take any muscle building supplements to support their workouts.

Muscle building is an exceptionally powerful way to boost your metabolism because a pound of muscle burns more calories than a pound of fat. This means that if you have more muscle on your body (anywhere on your body) you will simply burn more calories as a result. Remember, that once you start building muscle through any strength training your body will itself start burning more calories.

2.Interval training
The metabolism boosting benefits you will ultimately gain as a result of interval training is that your body suddenly needs to find more energy. For example, during your 20 minute jog if you add a 30 second sprint at 5 minute intervals your body needs to grab extra energy and therefore burn more calories and boosting your metabolism.

3.Variety
Adding variety into your exercise routine is beneficial for you in the long term for boosting your metabolism so as you don’t get bored with the same exercise regime day after day. Also, by adding variety into your workout your body cannot get into a predictive pattern or “groove”. What is meant here is that after you have started your exercise routine for a while your body starts to develop a kind of expectation of energy output – predicts how much energy output is needed to complete your exercise program. This can actually affect your metabolism boosting efforts.

Here’s an example of how you can break up a long exercise routine into smaller parts. Instead of committing to 1 x 1 hour workout a day, it can be metabolism boosting to split it up into 2 x 30 minute workouts.

You can add variety into your daily exercise routine without “properly” exercising. For example, take the stairs instead of the elevator or park further away from your work place.

4.Get enough sleep
Experts say that getting enough sleep can actually improve metabolism. If you don’t get enough sleep your metabolism slows down because the body has less energy to do such things as digesting and breaking down food efficiently, particularly carbohydrates. Therefore, you need to find a way to balance out your lifestyle in order for you to get enough sleep each night i.e. try to work out a couple of times a week during your lunch break instead of working out before bedtime because the body can become so energized that it may not want to sleep .

5.Reduce alcohol consumption
Alcoholic drinks are full of calories - almost the same as sugary soft drinks. For example, a bottle of beer contains a few hundred calories and most cocktails do as well. The key here is to be aware that alcohol contains hundreds of calories so when you do consume alcohol make sure you know how much you are drinking and that if you do not burn these extra calories off by exercising for instance, you are undermining your efforts to boost your metabolism.

6.Relax
Experts say that stress can send unwanted signals to our bodies - signals that lead to a slower metabolism. When your body is under constant stress it releases stress hormones that flood your system. These stress hormones tell the body to create larger fat cells in the abdomen and the result being both increased weight and a slower metabolism. Therefore, try to make time for yourself to regularly relax and unwind for example, listen to some relaxing music, go for a walk or try out yoga.

7.“That time of the month” is a good thing
Here’s something bizarre but, a BONUS for the ladies only! There have been studies conducted that show that the 2 week period prior to the onset of PMS is where fat burning capacity it's best. This is strange because usually during this period women don’t want to workout because their body and emotions are preparing for PMS. The reason for this researchers say is because the female body’s production of estrogen and progesterone are at their highest as these hormones tell the body to use fat as a source of energy, exercising during this time will really pay off!

8.Don’t hate calories
Your body is always trying its best to function in the manner that it considers to be the healthiest. Therefore, if suddenly you decrease the amount of calories that you need your body won’t try to do more with less. Instead your body will try to keep you alive by slowing down its metabolism i.e. if your body needs 2000 calories a day to survive and you suddenly give it only 1000, it won’t begin to burn 1000 calories worth of cells that you have lying in your thighs. Alternatively your metabolism will slow down; it won’t try to get as much energy out of 1000 calories because it doesn’t want to waste anything. So you can actually gain weight by dramatically reducing your calorie intake. You should consume a daily calorie intake that is proportionate to your body size, type and weight loss goals.

9.Eat more regularly
Eating frequently throughout the day can be very good for boosting your metabolism firstly because, people who tend to eat throughout the day do considerably less snacking. Secondly, by eating throughout the day you are constantly keeping your metabolism going.

Even though it’s good for metabolism boosting to eat frequently this doesn’t mean you can eat junk all day. If you choose to eat more frequently you need to be aware of what you are eating so you don’t exceed your required amount of daily calories.

10.Eat breakfast
We’ve all been told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. This lies true with boosting your metabolism. There are a couple of reasons why eating a healthy and hearty breakfast can boost your metabolism and lead you to your weight loss goals. The first is that people who eat breakfast are least likely to snack throughout the morning. For example, if you had a good breakfast of fruit and low sugar cereal you’re least likely to snack on a chocolate bar at 10:30am. Therefore, by starting the day with a nutritious breakfast you have more control over what you eat throughout the day. The second reason is that studies have shown that your metabolism slows down during sleep and doesn’t really pick up again until you eat. So by starting your day with breakfast is like kick starting your metabolism you’ll actually end up burning more calories throughout the day by simply eating breakfast! But bear in mind as you eat breakfast to control the proportion and contents. You don’t want to over feed yourself because remember you want to eat throughout the day and you can’t do that if you’re stuffed.

11.Befriend protein and good carbohydrates
Studies have shown that having enough protein in your system can actually increase the speed of your metabolism. This is because protein is difficult to break down and as you know the more time your body spends on something, the more energy (calories) it uses. However, keep in mind though there are different types of protein – some lean and some high in fat i.e. fast food burgers deliver up to 20 grams of protein but they also deliver a huge deal of fat. The benefits you enjoy from the protein are far outweighed by the massive fat intake. Therefore, ensure that your source of protein comes from lean protein like chicken or some fish. If you are looking for non-meat, lean protein alternatives low fat cheese, legumes and yogurt are good sources.

Refined carbohydrates such as white bread and potatoes are not the best to be consumed regularly as they are high glycemic index (GI) foods and require spikes in insulin in order to be digested. When insulin is released into the system it promotes the storage of fat and some experts believe slows down metabolic speed. Therefore, the good types of carbohydrates to consume are those that are high in fiber and those from fruit and vegetable sources.

Do you want to learn how to lose weight effectively and live a happier and healthier lifestyle? Begin boosting your metabolism now by using the tips of have I provided above in order to reach your weight loss goals now!

Good luck, have fun and enjoy a healthier, leaner you!

Rebecca Then
Solve It Ebooks.com