While it’s good to eat healthy and exercise right, conditioning your metabolism to work properly will help big time if you’re planning to lose weight. Here are six ways you can rev up your metabolism so that you can burn more calories naturally.
Eat breakfast.
Aside from it being the most important meal, having breakfast at the start of the day jumpstarts your metabolism. "Your metabolism slows while you sleep, and it doesn't rev back up until you eat again,” says Barbara Rolls, Ph.D., professor of nutrition at Penn State University and author of The Volumetrics Weight-Control Plan.
Skip the diet soda.
According to a study in Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism, drinking artificially sweetened beverages may negatively affect the body's normal metabolic response to sugar. So if you’re eating out, opt for fresh juice or water.
Nibble on meals.
Eating five to six small meals a day is better than packing on three big meals. Pamela Peeke, M.D., author of Fight Fat After Forty, says, "It will also prevent you from going without food so long that you become so hungry you overeat." Try to eat midmorning snacks such as yogurt and fruit or maybe a low-fat piece of cheese or some trail mix.
Say no to alcohol.
Going out with friends this evening? It’s best that you skip the cocktails. Today Health reports that when you drink, you burn less fat, and more slowly than usual, because the alcohol is used as fuel instead.
De-stress.
A recent study has found that people who experienced more stress had a lower metabolism rate and had a harder time burning fat. Be sure to take the time during the day to go out of the office to take a walk–it can help de-clutter your mind and reduce your stress levels.
Get enough sleep.
Studies say that lack of sleep can mess up your metabolism. According a study at the University of Chicago, people who got four hours of sleep or less a night had more difficulty processing carbohydrates. To get a good night's sleep, let loose before you snooze with these tips.
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