Boost Your Metabolism for Weight Loss
Diet pill marketers, as well as those of us who’ve struggled to lose weight in the past, tend to have a lot to say about how a higher metabolism can help with weight loss. But what is metabolism, and is boosting it really the secret to weight loss success?
What Is Metabolism?
Metabolism, or your basal metabolic rate, refers to how many calories your body burns in order to perform basic functions. It’s often said that metabolism is how many calories you burn when your body is “at rest,” as opposed to during physical activity.
How high or low your metabolism is depends on:
- Age: Metabolism slows down as you age.
- Sex: Men tend to have a higher basal metabolic rate than women.
- Body size: Larger bodies have to burn more calories to function.
- Body composition: Lean muscle mass burns more calories than fat.
You can’t, obviously, change your age, sex, or how tall you are. However, there are a few things you can do to make the most of your natural metabolism so that your body is burning as many calories as possible, as often as possible.
Three Ways to Boost Your Metabolism
- Build more muscle. While 30 minutes of aerobic activity will born more calories than 30 minutes spent lifting weights, building more lean muscle mass will allow you to burn more calories in the long run.
- Eat more often. Whenever you eat, your metabolism revs up in order to digest and process the food you’ve eaten. Eating small meals every few hours can help keep your metabolism at a higher rate more often. If you go several hours without eating, your metabolism may actually slow down in order to compensate for the lack of food energy.
- Choose high-protein snacks. Protein generally requires about 25 percent more energy (meaning more calories) to digest than carbohydrates. Be aware, however, that the metabolism boost you get from certain foods will only last for 30 to 60 minutes after you eat.
