Four Tips To Boost Your Metabolism and Get In Shape For Summer
Four Tips To Boost Your Metabolism and Get In Shape For Summer
- Weight Train At Least Twice A Week
Lean body mass will increase your metabolism. Muscle volume is a determinant of metabolism that will burn fat and calories. Muscle burns more energy than body fat at rest, so if you develop more muscle and have a higher muscle to fat ratio, you burn extra energy and more stored fat as a result. The benefits of strength training even continue when you’re at rest. Your metabolism stays elevated for some time after you workout, even if you are inactive.
- Get An Adequate Amount Of Sleep
If you are sleep-deprived, meaning that you are not getting enough sleep or good quality sleep, your metabolism will not function properly. Lack of sleep affects our ability to lose weight due to our nightly hormones. The two hormones that are key in this process are ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin is the ‘go’ hormone that tells you when to eat, and when you are sleep-deprived, you have more ghrelin. Leptin is the hormone that tells you to stop eating, and when you are sleep deprived, you have less leptin. More ghrelin plus less leptin equals weight gain. Not to mention, as we sleep our muscle fibers are recovering and rebuilding from muscle breakdown that took place during your workout.
- Stay Hydrated and Drink More Water
The brain confuses a lack of liquid with not enough food, triggering hunger pains. Drinking enough water can suppress appetite naturally and increases the body’s ability to metabolize stored fat. Water is needed to transport nutrients to your cells and transport waste out of the body. Water helps form the structures of protein and glycogen. A decrease in water intake will cause fat deposits to increase, while an increase in water intake can actually reduce fat deposits. This is thought to occur because a reduction in water decreases the efficiency of the kidneys, which results in some kidney functions being shunted to the liver. Because one of the liver’s primary functions is to metabolize stored fat into usable energy for the body, it metabolizes less fat while performing functions normally performed by the kidneys. This results in less stored fat burned, and a reduction in weight loss.
- Follow A Meal Plan that Incorporates Several Small Meals A Day
Eating every 3 to 4 hours, keeps your metabolism working, staves off hunger, and controls blood sugar. After about 3 hours without food, blood sugar begins to drop. After 4 hours, your body has already digested whatever nutrients you consumed from your previous meal. After 5 hours, your blood sugar begins to plummet, and you end up grabbing whatever you can to refuel.
For more tips on speeding up your metabolism, getting in shape, eating healthy, weight training, health and wellness, or if you’re frustrated with your current level of fitness and have been thinking about hiring a personal trainer, contact us.
