Metabolism is the process by which your body converts what you eat and drink into energy, according to the Mayo Clinic. Even when you're at rest, your body needs energy for breathing, circulating blood, repairing cells and other functions, the Mayo Clinic notes. Because calories provide this energy, a fast metabolism may help you burn calories faster and lose weight more easily than someone with a slow metabolism. Fortunately, you can boost your metabolism in numerous ways.
1. Eat Breakfast
Without fuel, your metabolism slows to a crawl. "Skipping breakfast tells your body that you're going into a starvation mode," says Heather Bauer, a registered dietitian and founder of Nu-Train, a nutrition and diet counseling center in New York City. "Your body responds by hoarding fat and conserving energy with a slow metabolism."
2. Graze
Eating frequent, small meals throughout the day, known as grazing, can boost metabolism by providing a steady source of fuel, according to James Hill, Ph.D., co-founder of the National Weight Registry and director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver. Grazing will also help prevent energy crashes by keeping your blood sugar steady, Hill adds.
3. Do Cardiovascular Exercise
Walking, jogging, cycling and swimming are cardiovascular exercises that burn calories and speed up metabolism, according to exercise physiologist Alice Burron, a spokesperson for the American Council on Exercise. For maximum boosting of metabolism, be sure to exercise for at least 30 minutes, Burron advises.
4. Consider Interval Training
Interval training--exercising at full speed for short periods, following by exercising at a slower pace--has been shown to raise metabolism to peak capacity, according to Burron. Intervals will also maximize your caloric expenditure and tap into fat burning, melting fat faster, Burron adds.
5. Lift Weights
Because muscle burns more calories than fat, the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism will be even at rest, Hill says. Burron recommends weight training three times a week for 20 minutes. Use free weights like light dumbbells or a weight machine.
6. Stay Active
Spending lots of time sitting can slow your metabolism, according to Hill. Conversely, any kind of movement will speed up your metabolism. Hill recommends pacing while talking on the phone, walking to another room during TV commercials, parking farther away from the doors of buildings, and adopting active hobbies, such as gardening.
7. Get Enough Protein
Protein helps build metabolism-boosting muscle and supplies energy to keep your metabolism humming, Bauer says. For maximum energy, Bauer recommends eating protein and a healthy carbohydrate at every meal, such as a chicken breast with brown rice.
8. Drink Coffee
Some research suggests that coffee may raise your metabolism, Bauer notes. In a randomized, double-blind study published in the January 2009 issue of the "European Journal of Clinical Nutrition," researchers at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark found that 50 mg of caffeine--equivalent to two cups of coffee--resulted in an increase in the resting metabolic rate of healthy, normal-weight men.
9. Stay Hydrated
Water is needed for digestion, cell repair, temperature regulation and other energy-burning bodily functions, says Hill. For an extra metabolism surge, make it an ice-cold glass of water. Your body will burn calories to bring it to room temperature, boosting your metabolism, Bauer explains.
10. Don't Skimp on Sleep
Sleep deprivation slows your metabolism and makes you more likely to overeat, according to Hill. In a 16-year study of 68,000 women published in the "American Journal of Epidemiology," women sleeping five hours or less packed on 2.5 more pounds than women getting seven hours of shut-eye.
References
- Heather Bauer, registered dietician and owner of Nu-Train, a diet and counseling center, New York, New York
- Alice Burron, exercise physiologist and spokesperson for the American Council on Exercise, Cheyenne, Wyoming
- James Hill, Ph.D., co-founder of the National Weight Registry, director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, Colorado
- Mayo Clinic: Slow Metabolism
- American Journal of Epidemiology: Association Between Reduced Sleep and Weight Gain in Women
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