July 20, 2024

What is Metabolism ? | 10 easy ways to boost your Metabolism


Metabolism is a process through which your body turns food into energy.  This energy is used by the human body in daily activities. Your body’s basal metabolic rate (BMR) helps maintain basic body functions, a rate that determines the body’s metabolic function and tells how much energy a human body needs. 

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The human body needs a fair amount of energy for day to day activities, digestion, blood circulation, breathing and hormonal balance, which it gets from food.  Human beings need energy according to their body composition and this energy is obtained through metabolic process.

What is Metabolism ?

Metabolism is a type of chemical reaction in the body, which works to increase the efficiency of your body. It helps your digestive system, respiratory system and other systems to work faster. But most people do not know about it that while your body’s metabolism can make you healthy, it can also make you sick.

Home remedies to increase Metabolism

Here are some home remedies which will help you to boost your metabolism

1) Protein

Protein is good for metabolism. By eating protein, you can see changes in your metabolism within a few hours.  This is called thermic effect of food, TEF.  Your body needs more calories for this action and these calories are obtained from the absorption of nutrients in the food.

The rate of thermic effect of food, TEF, is increased by eating protein compared to carbohydrates and fats.  Along with this, by eating more protein, you avoid overeating and you do not feel hungry again and again.  Apart from this, due to excessive dieting, your muscles damage.  However, it does reduce pat.  The rate of metabolism slows down due to reduced fat, but when you eat more protein, its rate remains normal.  According to one study, people can eat 441 calories, if you consume 30 percent protein in your diet.

2) Cold Water

Cold water help in metabolism
Drinking water is extremely effective in reducing weight.  Sugary drinks lead to weight gain because they contain calories.  Therefore drinking water automatically reduces the consumption of calories in your body, which helps in reducing weight.

However, drinking water also temporarily increases your metabolism.  According to studies, drinking half a liter of water increases metabolism by 10 to 30 percent within an hour.

If you drink cold water instead of normal water, more calories are burned because your body uses energy to bring the cold water to body temperature.

A study was conducted on some overweight adults.  In this study, these people drank half a liter of water before having a meal.  By doing this, these people were able to lose 44% more weight than normal people.

3) High Intensity Workout

High Intensity Workout for Metabolism
In high intensity interval training (HIIT), or high intensity workouts, you rest for a while and then exercise at a higher intensity for a while.  This workout helps to burn fat faster and increase the rate of metabolism.

4) Lift Heavy Things

Muscles increase the rate of metabolism more actively than fat.  Therefore the metabolism is accelerated by building muscle.  This means that you are burning more calories daily, even when you are resting.

Exercising with heavy weight does not cause much damage to the muscles nor does the rate of metabolism decrease.  Whereas during weight loss, there is always a problem of reduction in muscle building and a decrease in the rate of metabolism.

According to one study, 48 overweight women were given 800 calories daily in the diet.  Also, they were not allowed to do any kind of exercise.  On the other hand, women who exercised after meals were able to maintain their fitness, metabolism and strength in balance.  Women who were not allowed to exercise also lost weight, but their fitness and metabolic rate declined.

5) Stand up for a long time

Sitting too much is injurious to your health.  Some health experts have called it the new smoking.  Because, by sitting for a long time, you burn very few calories and burning less calories leads to weight gain.

If you compare sitting with standing, you will be surprised.  Standing and working out after noon can help you burn an additional 174 calories.

If you have a seated job, try to get up every once in a while for a walk.  Also, reduce the time interval between your sitting and getting up.  Apart from this, you can also use a working chair while standing.

6) Green Tea

Drinking green tea or oolong tea can increase the rate of metabolism by 4 to 5 percent.  This tea converts the stored fat in the body into fatty acids, which leads to faster fat burning.

People who take fewer calories and drink tea like green tea or oolong tea, it is easier for those people to lose weight and keep the weight balanced.

Although some studies have shown that green tea or oolong tea does not affect metabolism very much.  Therefore, it may be that the effect of this type of tea on metabolism is very less or only on some people.

7) Spicy Foods

Chili contains a substance called capsaicin, which helps in increasing metabolism.  Although the amount of spice you need to reap the benefits of the spice, many people cannot tolerate that dose.

According to a study on chili, chilies consumed in moderation per meal burn 10 extra calories.  Thus an average weight man can lose half a kilo in 6.5 years.  Along with this, it may also be that the effect of including spices in the food is not very much but it helps in increasing the metabolism.

8) Good Sleep

Lack of sleep is one of the biggest causes of obesity.  Due to insomnia, metabolism has a negative effect, due to which you start gaining weight.  Apart from this, lack of sleep also increases the sugar level and lowers the insulin level.  Both of these factors promote type 2 diabetes.

Apart from this, lack of sleep increases the ghrelin hormone, which makes you feel more hungry and on the other hand the leptin hormone is reduced, which makes you feel full.  It can be understood from this that people who get less sleep, they feel more hungry and they have to face many difficulties in losing weight.

9) Coffee

According to studies, the caffeine present in coffee increases metabolism by 3 to 11 percent like green tea. It also helps in burning fat.

However, its effect has been seen more on lean people.  According to one study, underweight women burned 29 percent more fat through coffee.  While 10 percent were seen in overweight women.  Coffee also helps in reducing weight by having an effect on metabolism and fat burning.

10) Coconut Oil

Compared to other saturated fats, coconut oil contains medium-chain fats.  Compared to long-chain fats, medium-chain fats help increase metabolism more. 

According to one study, medium-chain fats increase metabolism by 12 percent, while long-chain fats help increase it by only 4 percent.

Coconut contains fatty acids, it is beneficial to cook with it as compared to other oils.  Along with this, they also help in reducing weight.

What to eat for Good Metabolism

You may be confuse that what should you eat to improve your metabolism . So here are the things you need to eat for boosting your metabolism

1) Lemons for Metabolism

Lemon is great for speeding up your metabolism.  Lemons help in detoxification of the liver and cleansing of the digestive system.  The enzymes and vitamin C present in lemon help in flushing out the toxins from the body.  It helps in improving your metabolic functions.

How to take it : Squeeze the juice of half a lemon in a glass of warm water and drink it every morning on an empty stomach to boost your metabolism.  You can also include lemon in your regular diet to add flavor to your food.

2) Cayenne Pepper for Metabolism

Cayenne pepper contains a compound known as ‘capsaicin’ which has a positive effect on your body’s metabolic rate.  Capsaicin has thermogenic properties that help convert the energy of cells into heat.

According to a 2008 study published in the Journal of Biochemistry, capsaicin increases thermogenesis, which increases body temperature and metabolism.

According to a 2010 study published in the Proteveme Research Journal, capsaicin increases the activity of proteins inside fat cells that help reduce fat.

3) Apples for Metabolism

  • Eating an apple a day is better in many ways, it also helps to boost your metabolism and help you lose weight.
  • Apples are low in calories and full of soluble fiber.  Apples are a very good food for those who want to speed up their metabolism.  Its fiber content also aids in digestion and bowel movements.
  • Apples are high in fiber, which also keeps your stomach full.

Additionally, apples contain vitamin K as well as potassium, magnesium, and manganese that turn into fats, carbohydrates, and proteins, which are needed to keep you full of energy throughout the day.  Green apples are also particularly beneficial for increasing your metabolism.

4) Ginger for Metabolism

Ginger is another kitchen ingredient that can boost your metabolism.  It has thermogenic properties which means that its consumption increases the body temperature.  This is linked to a higher metabolic rate leading to an increase in body temperature.  Ginger helps in increasing the width of small arteries and improving blood circulation.

A 2009 study published in Life Sciences found that ginger has beneficial effects on fat metabolism and helps reduce visceral fat.  Consuming ginger regularly is useful in high cholesterol.

5) Black Coffee for Metabolism

According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, drinking coffee after a meal has an immediate effect on your metabolism, specifically your fat oxidation.

Furthermore, according to a study released in the same journal in 2004, after taking a 4.5 mg dose of caffeine, the metabolic rate goes up by 13 percent.

Studies published in the year 2010 by Food Science and Biotechnology suggest that caffeine works to reduce fat by stimulating the nervous system.

In a review published in 2011, researchers examined six such studies and found that caffeine supplementation increased the body’s energy expenditure over a 24-hour period.

Consuming too much caffeine can be fatal, with only 2 to 3 cups of coffee a day recommended.

6) Cinnamon for Metabolism

Cinnamon is a delicious way to speed up your metabolism and lose weight.

According to a study report published in Diabetes Care, cinnamon helps improve blood sugar and lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels in people who are suffering from diabetes.

A 2010 study in the Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology claims that cinnamon and cinnamon components are useful in metabolic syndrome including insulin sensitivity, antioxidants, lipids, glucose, blood pressure, inflammation and body weight.

Experts recommend that taking 1 to 3 grams of cinnamon daily for 20 days (half to 1 teaspoon) will improve your metabolism.  You can consume it every other day also.

7) Broccoli for Metabolism

Broccoli is one of those miracle vegetables that helps in improving the metabolic function in your body.  It is rich in calcium and vitamin C, both of which are essential components for a better metabolism.  Calcium acts as a countermeasure to increase metabolism while Vitamin C aids in better absorption of calcium.

In addition, broccoli is rich in phytochemicals, which accelerate the reduction of fat in the cells and thereby rid the body of excess fat.  In addition, broccoli is rich in folate, fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium and vitamins C, K, B -6 and B 12.

Add half or 1 cup of raw or cooked broccoli to your daily diet.  It helps to boost  metabolism and helps in weight loss.

So these was some bonus tips to boost up your metabolism. I hope you have got an important information from this article.

Thanks for reading this article.

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