13 Ways You Can Boost Your Metabolism

Metabolic Rate is the amount of energy expressed in calories that a person needs to keep the body functioning at rest. Some of those processes are breathing, blood circulation, controlling body temperature, cell growth, brain and nerve function, and contraction of muscles. Basal metabolic rate (BMR) affects the rate that a person burns calories and ultimately whether you maintain, gain, or lose weight. Your basal metabolic rate accounts for 60-75% of the calories you burn every day.

How to boost your metabolism:

1. Eat a healthy breakfast. Eating breakfast helps in weight management, helping curb unhealthy cravings before lunch. In order to keep your metabolism at optimal speed, it is necessary to eat regular, frequent meals, including breakfast, which can increase your resting metabolism by up to 10%.
2. Have small frequent meals. Eating more often can help you lose weight. When you eat large meals with many hours in between, your metabolism slows down between meals. Having a small meal or snack every 2 to 3 hours keeps your metabolism cranking, so you burn more calories over the course of a day. Several studies have also shown that people who snack regularly eat less at mealtime.
3. Drink green tea. Green tea has epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG for short), which is a compound that can boost up your metabolic rate for a full 24 hours by increasing your energy production from digestion of fats. Two to three cups a day should be enough to keep your metabolism high.  Choose high-quality brews and use leaves instead of dips.
4. Drink some coffee. Caffeine in coffee stimulates the metabolic rate of drinkers during the three hours after caffeine ingestion.
5. Spice up your menu. The consumption of spicy foods raises the body temperature and trigger the sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for producing sweat while eating these foods and can speed your metabolism by up to 20%. This increase in the body’s metabolism can last for as long as 30 minutes, making spicy meals a temporary fat-burning solution. Bioactive ingredients, such as capsaicin, can reduce energy intake, and may aid weight loss by keeping you feeling fuller longer, therefore suppressing hunger.
6. Eat more lean proteins. Protein contains the amino acids body needs to produce muscles that increase your metabolism. Every pound of muscle gained increases metabolism by 20-30%. Also your body burns many more calories digesting protein than it does digesting fat or carbohydrates. Each day, aim to eat one gram of lean protein for every pound of body weight. The main sources are from sources like chicken, fish, eggs, low fat dairy products, nuts, seeds, dark greens (kale is high source of protein).
7. Eat organic. Processed foods and nonorganic fruits and vegetables contain chemicals that can interfere with your body’s basic metabolic pathways. Glyphosate (a common herbicide), bisphenol (a plastic-hardening chemical used in canned-food linings and other food containers), and meats and poultry from hormone-fed livestock have can lead to obesity. Whenever possible, skip the packaged goods for fresh ones. Always choose organic versions of fruits and vegetables over their nonorganic counterparts, which tend to have the highest levels of metabolism-stalling pesticides.
8. Add cinnamon to your meals. Cinnamon contains thermogenic properties, which means when you consume it, your body automatically starts to burn more calories throughout the day. Consuming a half to 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder with your meals everyday will boost the metabolism and makes the fat cells more responsive to insulin in the body. Cinnamon also helps in managing cravings for sweets.
9. Drink more water. Your body needs water to process calories. If you are even mildly dehydrated, your metabolism may slow down. To stay hydrated, drink a glass of water or other unsweetened beverage before every meal and snack. Also, snack on fresh fruits and vegetables, which naturally contain water, rather than chips or other salty snacks.
10. Avoid crash diets. Crash diets — those involving eating fewer than 1,200 (for women) or 1,800 (for men) calories a day are bad for anyone hoping to quicken their metabolism. Although these diets may help to drop a few pounds but that comes at the expense of good nutrition. It later backfires, since you can lose muscle, which in turn slows your metabolism. The final result is your body burns fewer calories and gains weight faster than before the diet.
11. Build muscle. Your body constantly burns calories, even when you’re doing nothing. This resting metabolic rate is much higher in people with more muscle. Every pound of muscle uses about 6 calories a day just to sustain itself, while each pound of fat burns only 2 calories daily. That small difference can add up over time. After a session of strength training, muscles are activated all over your body, raising your average daily metabolic rate.
12. Step up your workout. Aerobic exercise increase your metabolism for hours after a workout. High-intensity exercise delivers a bigger, longer rise in resting metabolic rate than low- or moderate-intensity workouts. To get the benefits, try a more intense class at the gym or include short bursts of jogging during your regular walk.

Should energy drinks be taken for boosting metabolism? Some ingredients in energy drinks can give your metabolism a boost. They’re full of caffeine, which increases the amount of energy your body uses. They sometimes have taurine, an amino acid. Taurine can speed up your metabolism and may help burn fat. But using these drinks can cause problems like high blood pressure, anxiety, and sleep issues for some people. The American Academy of Pediatrics doesn’t recommend them for kids and teens.

Boosting your metabolism is the best way to keep fit and also to look younger.