Those who are trying to decrease their weight can increase the metabolic rate of the body in order to lose weight even without cutting down on calories.
Put very simply, metabolism consists of anabolism and catabolism and is the rate at which your body burns calories. When the body’s metabolic rate is faster, you can lose more weight when compared to another person having a lower metabolic rate and the same weight, activity level and diet. The metabolic rate depends on the age, the gender and heredity factors, your weight and problems like thyroid disorders. There are many ways to increase the metabolic rate naturally.
Eating small but Frequent Meals
When you extend the time period between two meals, the body moves into the starvation phase. This reduces the metabolic rate, as the body is trying to conserve the energy and avoid starvation. There are many people who are able to reduce weight by fasting occasionally, but it is generally seen that we eat less when we have frequent small meals. Instead of having two big meals a day, it is a better idea to have five or six smaller meals and eating healthy snacks, as this will increase the body metabolism.
Aerobic Exercises
Various exercises and activities help burn calories and fat, but aerobic exercises can increase the heart rate.
Weight Training
Muscles are able to burn more calories than fat, so it is beneficial to build muscles by doing weight-training exercises. By increasing the muscles in the body, the RMR or the resting metabolic rate increases. Muscles are able to constantly burn calories, even when the body is resting and sleeping and it increases when you do the exercise. Weight training exercises are a great way of increasing RMR, accounting for about 70% of the total calories burnt in one day.
Green Tea
Green Tea has a kind of antioxidant known as catechins. Studies have proved that catechins can reduce the body weight as well as the circumference of the waist. In addition, it also has compounds that fight cancer and can be beneficial to your diet in several ways for people of any age.
Coffee
Both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee in small amounts can boost the metabolic rate, as it stimulates the central nervous system. However, you must drink the right amount, as a cup of coffee, about 150 mg of caffeine, is more than enough for having the right metabolic effect, as too much coffee can interfere with sleep and cause irregular heartbeat.
Proteins
When you finish a meal, the body shows an increased metabolic rate, which is known as the thermic effect. When you consume proteins in the food, the body needs additional energy for digesting and absorbing it and also transporting the nutrients when the protein is consumed. The body needs a minimum of 20 % for metabolizing proteins and this keeps the metabolic rate accelerated for a few hours after finishing a meal. The best foods for increasing the metabolic rate in this way are fish, eggs, beans, and soy and lean meats that are high in proteins.
Foods containing Iron
Iron assists in the transportation of oxygen to the tissues of the body and helps the body make energy. When the iron levels in the body is low, it can cause tiredness and anemia and also result in slowing down the metabolism. There are many foods rich in iron that can increase your metabolic rate, such as lentils and tofu as well as pumpkin seeds, chickpeas, beans, etc.
Include Vitamin D
Those who have a low vitamin D level tend to gain more weight and fat accumulation, so you can look for natural ways to get Vitamin D by getting outside in the sun or by eating salmon.
Though the rate of metabolism depends on many factors, you can increase it by increasing the body’s need for more energy. It is difficult to exercise all the time, so there are other ways of increasing metabolic rates by eating the right foods.
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