Even if you are not a health and fitness expert, you probably have some vague understanding of what "metabolism" is. Often people want to increase their metabolism or metabolic rate so that they can naturally burn more calories instead of having to spend hours in the gym or endure the daily chore of restricting their diet. You can increase your metabolism in several ways and make yourself healthier in the process. Consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian before you make dramatic changes to your diet and lifestyle.
Exercise
In addition to directly burning calories, exercise can boost your metabolism, according to Jillian Davis of Penn State University. Strength and resistance training especially can increase your metabolic rate. Since muscle burns more energy than fat, increasing the amount of muscle you have will also help you keep fat off your body. Quantitatively speaking, 1 lb. of muscle burns 25 calories per day, while 1 lb. of fat burns just 2 calories a day. You do not need to be a full-time committed bodybuilder or athlete to reap the metabolic benefits of adding just a few pounds of lean muscle. Even if you do not go to the gym, simply increasing your level of physical activity will burn calories and increase your metabolic rate.
Get a Good Night's Sleep
Getting enough sleep can help you increase your metabolism. If you do not get enough sleep, you may be too physically fatigued to be physically active. In addition, inadequate sleep can alter your hormone levels and decrease your metabolism. The Centers for Disease Control recommends seven to nine hours of sleep for adults. Teenagers and adolescents require up to nine and a half hours of sleep. Your sleep should be as uninterrupted and as consistent as possible.
Eat Breakfast
Eating breakfast every morning will increase your metabolism and help your weight-loss efforts. Many people skip breakfast because they think it hinders their dieting efforts. This is not the case. By eating breakfast, not only do you fuel your body to start the day, but you "kick-start" your metabolism that has been lowered while you were sleeping.
Other Tips
Davis recommends several more steps you can take that may help increase your metabolic rate. First, try eating small meals more often rather than large meals less often. Eating more often will ensure that your metabolism is active all day. Second, avoid low-calorie diets. Low-calorie diets -- less than 1200 calories -- may result in short-term weight loss, but the weight loss will be mainly muscle and water. Ultimately, very low-calorie diets will slow down your metabolism and make it harder for you to lose weight. Third, drink at least eight 8-oz. cups of water each day. Water is needed for all metabolic processes to occur. Fourth, try eating very spicy foods. Spicy foods that make you sweat can increase your metabolism by up to 20 percent for about 30 minutes. Use good judgment though, as eating a 1500-calorie spicy burrito with hot sauce will not support your dieting efforts.
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