Boost Your Metabolism

By Ron McDonald Jr. - CPT

Do you feel like you have a "slow metabolism"? I always hear people (ladies mostly) saying they have a slow metabolism, as if they were born that way and cannot do anything about it. So I have compiled this list of things you can do to boost your metabolism. Read through this list and see if you should be doing 1 or 2 things or maybe even all 7.

1. Build Muscle Mass
   Resistance training builds lean muscle tissue, which burns more calories at work or at rest, all day everyday, seven days a week. The more lean muscle you have, the faster your metabolism will be (ladies). How do you start strength training? Try some push-ups, or a few squats or lunges. Use 5 lb. free weights or bands to perform simple biceps curls or triceps pulls. Add these exercises to your daily routine, and you'll notice a big difference in your metabolism as well as in your physique.
   


2. Avoid Skipping Meals
   If your body senses that food is in short supply, it will slow your metabolism to conserve energy. Over time, the result is that when you do eat (even if you consume the same foods as always) your body will be slower to use the calories as fuel, thus creating a backlog of unwanted pounds. A good strategy is to cut your caloric intake by no more than 500 calories per day and never less than 1500 calories total each day. Once you determine your goal for calorie consumption, divide those calories into 6 different small meals/snacks through out the day.
   


3. Get Whey More Protein
   Research shows that protein helps to stabilize the release of insulin into your blood stream, a process that can affect metabolism. The average person would benefit from protein intake at least 70 grams or higher each day.
   


4. Exercise 3-4 Days a Week
   The goal is to burn as many calories weekly as you can through exercise. The extra calories you burn over time could add up to an additional 1-2 pounds of weight loss per month. Remember to lose weight you have to burn more calories than you consume.
   


5. Increase Movement in Daily Lifestyle
   The more you move, the more you burn! You can actually make a significant addition to the number of calories you burn each day by relatively minor changes in lifestyle. This can be as simple as taking the stairs instead of the elevator; park a distance from the mall or office; window-shop with your best friend rather than sit over coffee; walk the dog instead of just let him out; do a little gardening or clean house while you talk on the phone. Making these types of changes for just 20 minutes of your day will cause you to burn an additional 100 calories per day or an additional pound per month. Making more of these changes can help you burn as much as an additional 1,000 calories per day!
   


6. Go For an Evening Walk
   Although exercising any time is good for you, evening activity may be particularly beneficial. Many people's metabolism slows down toward the end of the day. Thirty minutes of aerobic activity before dinner increases your metabolic rate and may keep it elevated for another two or three hours. What that means for you: those dinner calories have less of a chance to take up permanent residence on your hips!
   


7. Get Adequate Sleep
   As funny as it sounds, sleep deprivation may make you fat and not just because you're susceptible to cases of the late-night munchies. According to researchers at the University of Chicago, women who got less than four hours of sleep per night had a slower metabolism than those who slept for a full eight hours.

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