According to MayoClinic.com, metabolism is the basic physical process by which your body converts the food and liquids you consume into the energy that your body needs to function. Your metabolic rate is generally determined by a few factors, including your age, sex, body size and build and your level of physical activity. While weight gain is rarely caused by a slow metabolism, there are some ways to help speed even a healthy metabolism.
Step 1
Eat breakfast every morning. According to Redbook.com and Barbara Rolls, professor of nutrition at Penn State University, eating breakfast every day will help you burn more calories in a shorter period of time than if you didn't eat breakfast. Rolls recommends high-fiber, low-fat foods for breakfast like whole-grain toast, egg whites with fresh vegetables and a bran muffin or bran-based cereal with low-fat milk.
Step 2
Exercise more frequently but for shorter periods of time. According to Nowloss.com, a website that aims to provide beneficial information about healthy weight loss, doing a few smaller workouts through the course of a day can help to keep your metabolic rate higher than simply doing one 30- or 40-minute workout.
Step 3
Add a little spice to your diet with cayenne pepper, jalapenos or cinnamon. Spicy foods can speed up your metabolism by 8 to 20 percent for at least 30 minutes after eating them, according to Nowloss.com.
Tips and Warnings
- Avoid cutting calories too much when you are trying to lose weight. According to Redbook.com and Liz Applegate, professor of nutrition at the University of California at Davis, cutting calories too far beyond what you need to maintain your weight will result in your metabolism slowing down even further.
- According to MayoClinic.com, pills and supplements that claim to speed up your metabolism are generally a waste of money. Some may even have potentially dangerous side effects. Talk to your doctor if you feel you are gaining weight rapidly without a change in your diet or activity level. While metabolic disorders are fairly rare, they do happen.
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