5 Ways to Boost Your Metabolism

Good morning!  Have you ever looked at yourself and those connected to you genetically and thought, "We just do not have that great metabolism that a few people seem to have?"  We look around at the small percentage of people who seem as though they can eat anything and never seem to gain a pound.  I have learned how it is SO much more important to be healthy in general than it is to be a certain size.  Healthy is going to look a bit different on everyone but there will be some common traits.  So, what can we do to make the most of our metabolism?  There are MANY suggestions out there.  You can do some reading up on this topic and will come away with all sorts of information!  Today I am going to take a look at five things that I have implemented myself this past year.  

1) Eat 5-6 Small Meals/Snacks Throughout Your Day

This topic is one of the biggest areas where I have made changes in how I have done things this past year.  I used to think that just eating less in general was going to benefit me.  Sure, to some extent that may be true.  BUT if you are eating less often and not eating the right things, you are actually going to SLOW your metabolism.  This is one of the most frustrating realities of traditional "dieting" ~ if you cut out too many calories, your metabolism thinks times are lean and puts the breaks on fat-burning to conserve energy.  Rather than burning through what you are eating, your body decides it had better hold on to everything!  Eat smaller meals and snacks throughout your day to keep the metabolism fire burning!  It is also helpful to pair a complex carb and a lean protein throughout the day while also getting the right mix of healthy fats.

  

2) Build Lean Muscle

Build lean muscle. Muscle requires a considerable amount of energy to keep its fibers strong, especially when they are constantly being torn and repaired. By building lean muscle, your body will keep the metabolism going.

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/way_5268623_ways-increase-metabolism.html?ref=Track2&utm_source=ask

Build lean muscle. Muscle requires a considerable amount of energy to keep its fibers strong, especially when they are constantly being torn and repaired. By building lean muscle, your body will keep the metabolism going.

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/way_5268623_ways-increase-metabolism.html?ref=Track2&utm_source=ask

Last September I began my fitness journey with a workout program called "ChaLean Extreme".  This program involves some serious strength training and I was surprised to see how much I enjoy lifting weights!  Strength training is a key element when you are looking to boost your metabolism through exercise.  This is because strength training places your focus on building and maintaining muscle. Increasing muscle mass is going to offer an all-the-time benefit to your metabolism.  Our bodies burn a few more calories to maintain a pound of muscle than they do to maintain a pound of fat.  

Looking at the effects of your workout itself, let's talk about incorporating strength training within your typical cardio routine.  Lifting weights stresses and breaks down your muscles, which respond by building more muscle cells to compensate for the new loads being placed upon them. These new cells require energy. “With a standard cardio workout, once your heart rate goes down, the calorie burning process stops,” says Juliet Kaska, an ACE-certified personal trainer and owner of JK Zen Fitness in Los Angeles. “But with resistance training the caloric burn continues for several hours as your body recovers from the workout.”  

Our legs are made up of the largest muscles in our body.  Building strong legs is going to benefit our metabolism in the long run!

Build lean muscle. Muscle requires a considerable amount of energy to keep its fibers strong, especially when they are constantly being torn and repaired. By building lean muscle, your body will keep the metabolism going.

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/way_5268623_ways-increase-metabolism.html?ref=Track2&utm_source=ask

Build lean muscle. Muscle requires a considerable amount of energy to keep its fibers strong, especially when they are constantly being torn and repaired. By building lean muscle, your body will keep the metabolism going.

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/way_5268623_ways-increase-metabolism.html?ref=Track2&utm_source=ask

Build lean muscle. Muscle requires a considerable amount of energy to keep its fibers strong, especially when they are constantly being torn and repaired. By building lean muscle, your body will keep the metabolism going.

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/way_5268623_ways-increase-metabolism.html?ref=Track2&utm_source=ask

3) Drink Plenty of Water

Your body needs water to process calories. If you are even mildly dehydrated, your metabolism may slow down. In one study, adults who drank eight or more glasses of water a day burned more calories than those who drank four. 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 pretzels or chips. Although drinking water may not increase your metabolism directly, drinking more water increases blood volume in the body. This gets more oxygen and nutrients to cells and carries out more waste. These processes help increase the efficiency with which the body’s cells work.

4) Eat Breakfast!!

Make sure you eat breakfast. This is one area where I did the WORST in the past!  I would be so busy getting things going for the kids that I would overlook eating my own breakfast.  Even if I did eat something for breakfast it was very rarely an effective choice!  Eating breakfast gets the engine going and keeps it going. It's hard to argue with these results: According to the National Weight Control Registry (an ongoing study that tracks 5,000 people who lost an average of 66 pounds and kept it off more than five years), 78% of those who keep it off eat an a.m. meal every day.  

I now enjoy my Shakeology for my breakfast each morning.  I love that I am giving my body a super-charged start.  Plus it is delicious and super-convenient.  My own breakfast challenge has been solved!  Sometimes when I tell people that I use my Shakeology for breakfast, they think that it sounds pricey compared to the banana or granola bar that they usually grab for breakfast.  But it is a COMPLETE meal.  It is a huge boost to me to begin my day with excellent nutrition like this.  When I have my Shakeology for dinner sometimes, I think to myself, "Wow!  What a great value for a meal.  This is quick and convenient and is so good for me!"  Of course you don't have to incorporate Shakeology to get a good breakfast at your place.  Eating a nutrient-rich morning meal like oatmeal with almonds and berries, or a spinach-and-feta omelet with a slice of Ezekiel toast shortly after getting out of bed literally wakes up your metabolism.

5) Get Enough Protein

Your body digests protein more slowly than fat or carbs, so you feel full longer.  In a process called thermogenesis, your body uses a greater percentage of your "protein calories" in digestion than it would with eating that same amount of calories via a simple carb.  Check out my blog entry on the importance of getting enough protein. So, because it takes longer to burn protein than carbs or fat, your body expends more energy absorbing the nutrients in a high-protein diet. Another bonus: One recent study from Purdue University found that diets higher in protein may help preserve lean body mass, which is the best fat-burner of all.

As part of a balanced diet, replacing some carbs with lean, protein-rich foods can boost metabolism at mealtime. Good sources of protein include lean beef, turkey, fish, white meat chicken, tofu, nuts, beans, eggs, and low-fat dairy products.  When I am fitting in enough protein during my day, I am way less likely to feel hungry and then wind up with a desire to reach for things that are just not good for me.  Last year at this time I was eating 1-2 servings of protein per day and that was just not helpful!  Now I am at 5 or 6 protein servings and this has made a significant difference in my overall nutrition.