A high metabolism is the key to weight management. Your metabolism the process your body uses to turn nutrients like fat, carbohydrates and protein into energy. The higher your metabolic rate, the more food you can eat without gaining weight. Age, gender and body size all play a part in determining your metabolism, but you can raise it yourself by a number of ways.
Gain Muscle
The amount of muscle you carry greatly affects your metabolic rate because muscle is an active tissue, and requires calories to maintain itself. The more muscle you carry, the faster your metabolic rate. To add muscle, use a resistance training program at least three times per week. Train your entire body at each workout using multi-joint exercises like squats and overhead presses.
Eat Lots of Protein
Carbohydrates and fat are your body's preferred energy source because they are easily broken down. Protein, on the other hand, is more difficult to break down and requires more energy to process. A diet high in protein will raise your metabolism because it will make your body expend more calories, just to digest your food. High protein intake also supports muscle growth, which has a metabolism boosting effect as well.
Cardiovascular Exercise
Daily cardiovascular exercise burns calories and boosts your metabolism. Just 30 minutes per day of an exercise such as walking is enough to aid weight management, according to the American Council on Exercise. The fitter you become, the more intense exercise you can do, resulting in an even more dramatic effect on metabolism. Interval training is a method of exercise combining short sprints, followed by short recovery periods. Interval training burns lots of calories and can boost your metabolism for hours.
Drink Enough Water
Water is used for a number of processes relating to metabolism. Water plays critical roles in circulation, temperature regulation and waste management. Additionally, muscles are made primarily of water, and must be well hydrated to function optimally. Even the temperature of water can have a metabolism boosting effect. When you drink an ice-cold glass of water, your body burns calories heating it up to body temperature. Follow the Mayo Clinic's water intake recommendation of 2 liters each day.
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