Metabolism is the rate at which our body burns calories. Various factors influence metabolism such as age, gender, height, weight, genes, etc. But there are some day to day practices which affect the metabolic rate of the body. A high metabolic rate helps lose weight faster.
Here are some tips shared to increase the metabolism:
Don’t Starve: Due to lesser calorie intake the body automatically slows down the metabolism to maintain proper body functioning and to conserve energy.
Proteins will boost: Proteins need more energy to metabolize. Hence consuming protein rich foods such as lean meat, fish, egg, beans, legumes, etc. keeps up the metabolic rate even after meals.
Ice cold water: Drinking Ice cold water increases the metabolism as compared to room temperature water because the body uses up calories to heat up the water to normal body temperature.
Small amounts of caffeine also work: Caffeine increases our heart rate and hence the metabolism is increased. So 1-2 cups of coffee a day is safe to consume to boost metabolism.
Iron for transportation: Iron rich foods like fish, poultry, lentils, chickpea, spinach, kale helps in oxygen transport which is needed for energy production.
Get enough amount of sleep: It is recommended to get atleast 8 hours of sleep everyday for adults. Lack of sleep leads to a slower metabolism and an increased appetite, which further increases the risk of weight gain and obesity.
Exercise: It is considered one of the most effective ways of boosting metabolism especially when you are dieting. The slower metabolism due to lower calorie intake can be recovered by an exercise routine.
Frequent meals will speed up: Along with all other benefits, consuming small frequent meals boosts the metabolic rate, since every time we eat we trigger our metabolism for a short period of time.
Vitamins and Minerals also act as elevators: Calcium deficiency is found to slow down metabolism, so calcium rich sources such as dairy products should be consumed in appropriate amounts. Vitamin-D consumption should also be taken care of, as it is required for calcium absorption in body. So you need to get out in the sun and consume salmon and fortified products to get Vitamin D.