Speed Up Your Metabolism
Losing weight and staying fit is all about calories consumed versus calories burned. Your metabolism has a large impact on the rate at which these calories are burned. Some people naturally have a faster metabolism than others - this is why you may have a thin friend who seems like she can eat whatever she wants and not gain weight. However, there are a variety of things you can do to boost the rate of your metabolism.
Fitness Magazine explains metabolism is simply the total number of calories burned each day. Most of the calories burned during the day are from functions you don't even think about like your circulation and heart beat. Only around 25 percent of the calories burned are used doing the physical activity you are doing during the day like walking or exercising, explains the source.
The best way to speed up your metabolism is to build muscle. The more muscle you have, the more calories your body will burn throughout the day even if you are just sitting. This is referred to as your resting metabolic rate and the more muscle you have the higher your resting rate will be. According to WebMD, every pound of muscle you have has to burn around six calories a day just to sustain itself whereas a pound of fat only needs two calories per day. Hit the weights and your metabolism will certainly increase.
Another way to increase your metabolic rate is to get chilly. When your body is cold it has to work hard to regulate your perfect 98 degree temperate. Drinking ice cold water or taking a cold shower can cool the body down, causing you to shiver and speeding up your metabolism.
Finally, eating breakfast and snaking throughout the day is a great way to ignite your metabolism. MSNBC says that eating breakfast can increase your resting metabolic rate by 10 percent.
