Metabolism is defined as the process in which the body converts food or calories to energy according to MayoClinic.com. This energy is then needed for the body to perform functions including circulation, digestion, breathing, muscle contraction and elimination. Raising your metabolism allows you to burn more calories that may help prevent adverse conditions such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes.
Get Moving
The best known way to boost metabolism is through exercise. When you move around, you increase your body's energy output, thereby increasing your metabolism. Walking, running, biking, swimming and even gardening will increase your heart rate and burn calories. You may think that exercising until you're out of breath is best to raise metabolism but resistance training offers long term metabolic benefits. According to the May 1, 2010 issue of "Sports Medicine," when muscle mass is lost it causes an adverse effect on metabolism and can lead to a host of metabolic disorders from obesity to diabetes. Resistance training increases muscle mass which raises metabolism and burns fat, reducing the risk of metabolic disorders. If you have not exercised for some time, start slow with a light exercise such as walking or small weight training and see your doctor before you begin an exercise program.
Eat More Often
There is much debate on whether you should eat 3 square meals a day or break your food intake up into 5 or 6 smaller meals. While the choice is yours, you may want to consider that your metabolism has to kick into gear to digest foods, according to the National Institutes of Health. Dietitian Sanjana Shenoy explains that when you eat large meals the body senses it is going into starvation mode and it slows down its metabolism and stores food as fat. Eating smaller, more frequent meals keeps the metabolism burning, even between meals.
Spice It Up
Add spice to your meals for a metabolism booster. Researchers from Maastricht University in The Netherlands point out that spices such as cayenne or capsaicin, ginger and black pepper increase metabolic rate by increasing the body's internal temperature. Their report, published in the August 2006 issue of "Physiology and Behavior," also lists green and black tea as having a positive metabolic effect. Other spices that may raise metabolism are cumin, cinnamon, turmeric and ginger.
Get Some Sleep
Sleep deprivation leads to numerous chronic diseases, according to the Centers For Disease Control. The risk of diabetes, heart disease, depression and physical accidents are greater for those who don't get enough at night. Although your metabolism slows down while you sleep, if you are chronically sleep deprived it will affect your metabolism while you are awake. A study in the August 2010 issue of the "International Journal of Endocrinology" reports that sleep deprivation alters the production and expenditure of glucose and hormones that are key in regulating metabolism. that is, decreased leptin levels and increased ghrelin levels. Those who don't get enough sleep are not able to efficiently metabolize blood sugar which puts them at greater risk for diabetes and obesity.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Metabolism and Weight Loss: How You Burn Calories
- PubMed.gov: Sports Medicine: Resistance Training In The Treatment Of Metabolic Syndrome
- National Institutes of Health: Metabolism
- Dietician Sanjana Shenoy: Small Meals For Smaller Waists
- PubMed.gov: Physiology and Behavior: Metabolic Effects of Spices, Tea and Caffeine
- Weightlossforall.com: Spices To Boost Metabolic Rate
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