Nowadays, many people misinterpret the meaning of the word ‘metabolism’. Not always the reason for our weight loss or gain is our metabolism. Sometimes overweight people can have faster metabolisms than skinny people.Metabolism is the process that our body does to break down nutrients.

Many of us do not understand the link between the words ‘metabolism’, ‘calorie’, ‘energy’ and ‘weight gain’. That evil calorie we all are afraid of is actually a measurement for energy. So, when the body receives 500 calories, it must do something with that energy. The body can do two things with that energy: it can either convert that energy into cells/tissue (in other words- weight gain) or it can use that energy to break down cells (weight loss). So, from this, we can see that the whole weight loss/gain thing is only about excess energy.

There are numerous factors that determine our metabolic rate:

• Age – as you get older, your metabolism slows down.
• Gender – it is known that men have faster metabolism than women.
• Genes – some people have slower metabolisms than other.
• Body Structure – People with more muscle mass burn more calories.

Boosting your metabolism and making it work faster and burn more calories can sometimes be tricky and contrary to what we’ve believed so far. If you can manage to incorporate at least half of these tips you can revive and boost your metabolism significantly. These are some of the most effective ways to boost your metabolism:

1- Build muscles!

Yes, this is so true. The reason why is because muscles also need calories (energy) to survive. So when you build muscles, your body will burn calories in the process of maintaining the muscles. In other words, once you build muscles, your body will practically burn calories without you doing anything.

You can sit all day and your body will burn calories in order to maintain your muscle mass. Be aware of the fact that one muscle cell weights twice as much as one fat cell, therefore, your weight might stay the same, but your clothes size will come down.

2- You don’t have to always eat low-calorie food!

Another thing you can be happy about! Let’s explain this. Let’s say your body needs 2000 calories per day and you only consume 1000 calories. In this way, your body starts to assume that you are not able to take more calories, so it starts to burn them more slowly.

Your body is a smart machine, so in order to keep you alive, the less calories you take, the slower it burns them, because it tries to save energy. So by eating only low-calorie food, you will actually slow down your metabolism.

3- Eat throughout the whole day!

By eating more often, you are constantly keeping your metabolism in motion. Imagine your body like a machine. Keep it working by consuming food more often. The food is practically fuel for your body. You can eat five small portions, instead of two big ones. However, this doesn’t mean that you can eat junk food all day!

4- Eat early in the morning!

Breakfast is one of the most important meals indeed. The most important reason for this is to boost your metabolism. Metabolism slows down when you sleep, and it does not start working properly again until you eat something. So start your metabolism with a healthy breakfast as soon as you wake up.

5- Drink lots of water!

Your body needs water to process calories. Your metabolism is slow when you are dehydrated because there isn’t enough water to help with the process of burning calories. You should drink at least 8 glasses of water every day.

6- Eat spicy!

The chemical compound in the spicy food can really help with increasing your metabolic rate. So the next time you prepare your meal, spice it up a little.

7- Eat more protein!

The reason for this is that the body burns many more calories for processing proteins, than it does for processing fat or carbohydrates. Just be careful, a burger is not really a healthy choice for proteins. Instead, eat a slice of turkey, a fish, some nuts, beans or egg whites and low-fat dairy products. In addition, proteins will help you build muscles more quickly.

8- Are you a fan of Black Coffee?

If yes, this is one of its advantages. Black coffee can also boost your metabolism, but only for a short period of time. Coffee increases your energy level and your concentration, but again only for a short period of time.

9- Drink iced drinks!

We really should drink three ice drinks a day. This can be iced coffee, iced juice, water, or even better – iced green tea. The reason why is pretty simple. Cold or iced drinks force our bodies to warm them up. In the process of warming up the drinks, our bodies must use more energy and the result is burning more calories.

10- High intensity workout!

This is something you probably won’t like that much. Most people think that low-intensity workouts are better to perform, even if they could do high-intensity workouts. Actually, if you wish to boost your metabolism, the opposite is true.

If you do low-intensity workouts, your body won’t break cells down to make energy, simply because it won’t need to. The only way your body is going to break down existing cells is if it has to.  High-intensity workouts force your body to find energy and by that, it burns all the calories you don’t need.

11- Interval exercising!

With sudden interval exercising you trick your body into using more energy. You can run the usual cardio for 15 minutes, and then sprint run for 30 seconds. Repeat this several times and you will boost your metabolism twice as much and burn many more calories.

12- Alcohol does no good!

Skip alcohol. If you’re a fan of alcohol, sorry to inform you this. When you drink alcohol, especially while eating dinner, your metabolism first burns out the calories in the alcohol and so the calories you take from food remain in your body.

If you do want to drink alcohol, stick with wine and avoid cocktails and other hard alcohol drinks because they contain a lot more calories and sugar.

13- Avoid stress!

Chill out, really. Stress hormones make fat cells in the abdomen increase in size. The fat cells in the abdomen are more likely to increase the risk of some serious diseases, such as heart disease or cancer. So relax, and do things that you enjoy doing, take your dog on a walk, or play with your kids.

14- The bittersweet grapefruit!

This is one thing you should learn to enjoy. Grapefruits and other citrus foods reduce our insulin levels and are high in vitamin C. It is known that insulin allows the body to store fat, and grapefruit reduces our insulin, so that’s how it helps your body.

15- Omega-3 fatty acids!

Foods that contain Omega-3 fatty acids reduce the production of leptin – a natural hormone that slows down metabolism. You can find these fatty acids in fish, as well as in nuts and seeds or seed oils.

16- Spend some time in the sauna!

Going to a sauna can really help boosting your metabolism. In a sauna, your body temperature increases, you burn fat more quickly and by that you increase your metabolic rate.

17- Sleep!

A little odd, but true. You should sleep at least 8 hours in order to keep your metabolism in speed. When you don’t sleep enough, the level of the hormone cortisol increases. Cortisol is responsible for you being hungry. So, it’s best if you sleep regularly.

18- Magnesium!

Magnesium is used in over 300 chemical processes occurring in your body, including your metabolism rate. Eat more bananas and you’re good to go.

19- Vitamin B!

Vitamin B is crucial for the production of energy. Insufficient amounts of vitamins B6 and B12 might cause tiredness and depression and to slow down your metabolism. You can consume your daily dose of Vitamin B from nuts and fish.

Boosting your metabolism is a crucial step if you wish to stay in a good shape. You must understand what your body needs in order to function properly. You can change the way your body copes with the food you consume. Once you incorporate these foods in your daily menu, you won’t have to worry about having a slow metabolism ever again.

By speeding up and boosting your metabolism you also improve your health in general and you lower the chances of gaining weight any time soon. If your metabolism remains slow, your body will function harder and you will have to deal with the consequences of that problem your whole life. Take control over your body and help it.

With these few tips and tricks say goodbye to your slow metabolism and welcome your new self.