Scientific Ways to Boost Your Metabolism
We often hear people say they have a slow or fast metabolism, or that their metabolism has slowed down as they aged. As a result, people are often looking for ways to increase their metabolism to improve health and perhaps change their body composition.
Before we can boost metabolism, it helps to understand what it is.
Metabolism is the sum of all chemical processing happening in your body. This includes the process of breathing, digestion, movement, brain function, etc. For the body to perform simple or complex processes it needs to burn energy, and this is our metabolism.
How to boost metabolism
- Walk more
- The more we move our bodies, the more energy our body will burn.
- Build more muscle
- Muscle requires more energy to maintain than fat or other cells do, so having more muscles means your body will use more energy even at rest.
- Increase protein intake
- Protein requires more calories to digest and use than other nutrients do, and protein helps to maintain healthy muscle mass.
- Aim for .36-.7 grams per lb. of body weight, or 1 palm sized serving per meal.
- Eat a wide variety of fruits, veggies, healthy fats, and carbohydrates.
- Carbs and the quickest and easiest to use form of energy for your body, eating a healthy variety will increase the efficiency with which your body stores and uses nutrients.
- Get fidgety
- Moving our body consistently through the day (even small non-exercise movements) will increase metabolism.
Overall, there is no one size fits all program to increase metabolism or improve health. Try adopting one healthy habit at a time and give yourself lots of compassion along the way. This is a complex process, so do the best you can and aim for 1% better each day. You’ve got this.
https://www.precisionnutrition.com/metabolic-damage
Metabolism includes Basil Metabolic Rate (BMR), Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT), Thermic Effect of Food (TEF), and Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (EAT).
