You can increase your metabolism by exercising on a regular basis. Metabolism is the process your body uses to convert food into calories, which you then use for fuel. Your metabolic rate is the number of calories your body burns in an average day. Increasing your metabolism through exercise will help you reduce your percentage of body fat and increase your lean muscle mass.
High Intensity Interval Training
High Intensity Interval Training is an intense workout you perform in patterns. Any aerobic exercise you do can be converted to an HIIT workout. The pattern in HIIT is easy to learn. If you currently jog for 30 minutes at a steady pace, plan on changing the intensity of your jog at regular intervals throughout the 30 minutes. Do a five-minute warm-up pace, followed by five minutes of jogging at your regular pace, then sprint as fast as you can for one minute. Repeat the pattern of five minutes of regular pace to one minute of sprinting for the remainder of your workout. These patterned workouts can be applied to walking, running, cycling, swimming and even dancing.
These types of patterns increase your metabolism because they burn fat at a faster rate than just steady pace exercise. A study published in the "Journal of Applied Physiology" summarized that "Seven sessions of HIIT over two weeks induced marked increases in whole body and skeletal muscle capacity for fatty acid oxidation during exercise in moderately active women." You can include HIIT in your workout several days a week.
Aerobic Exercise
Aerobic exercise is defined as exercise causing a slight but noticeable increase in breathing and heart rate, such as running, walking, swimming, biking, skiing and dancing. To get the maximum increase in your metabolism from aerobic exercise, you should exercise with intensity; increase your heart rate and work out for 30 to 60 minutes per day.
While you are exercising, you should be able to talk a bit, but should not be able to carry on a conversation without feeling slightly out of breath. When exercising with the intent to increase your metabolism, always strive to improve your speed and distance.
Resistance Training
Strength or resistance training exercises will dramatically increase your resting metabolism. While aerobic exercise is an efficient fat burner, strength training is most efficient at building muscle mass. The more lean muscle you have, the faster your metabolism. Perform strength-training exercises using free weights, weight machines or resistance bands. Work your upper body one day, rest one day, then work the lower body the next day. Repeat this cycle, varying the exercises you perform.
Do these exercises for your upper body. Bicep curls, shoulder presses, upright rows, push-ups, dumbbell rows and overhead presses. For your abdominal muscles, perform crunches and oblique sit-ups.
Choose from the following lower body exercises, and do them on alternating days: Squats, lunges, dead lifts, leg extensions and calf raises. All of these can raise your metabolism and build muscle mass.
References
- Journal of Applied Physiology: Two Weeks of High-Intensity Aerobic Interval Training Increases the Capacity for Fat Oxidation During Exercise in Women
- Harvard School of Public Health: Staying Active: Every Body's Path to Better Health
- McKinley Health Center: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: Designing a Resistance Training Program
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