Are you trying to lose weight or boost your energy levels? One key factor could be your metabolism, and learning how to raise metabolism can make a big difference.
Metabolism refers to how quickly your body burns calories, and a faster metabolism can help with weight loss and energy levels.
There are several ways to naturally increase your metabolism, which include better nutrition habits, physical activity from strength training, and getting a good night’s sleep.
In this article, I’ll go through all the methods to help raise your metabolism, including tips and advice that are simple to incorporate into your daily routine.
What Factors Play a Role in Metabolism?
Several factors play a role in your metabolism, affecting how your body burns calories and how quickly you can lose or gain weight. Let’s look at some of the main ones:
BMR: Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) plays a big role. This is the number of calories your body needs to perform basic functions like breathing and digestion. A higher BMR means your body burns more calories at rest, which can help in weight loss.
Level of Physical Activity: Regular workouts, especially strength training, can increase muscle mass, which in turn boosts your metabolism. Plus, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is particularly effective at raising your metabolic rate.
Energy Needs: Your body’s need for energy also influences your metabolism. When you consume food, especially high-protein meals, your body works harder to digest it. This phenomenon is known as the thermic effect of food (TEF). Spicy foods that are rich in capsaicin, like chili peppers, can also slightly increase TEF and boost metabolism.
Nutrition: And yes, nutrition is equally important. Consuming whole grains, vegetables, and legumes can help maintain a healthy metabolism. Plus, green tea and caffeine are also known to increase metabolic rate and promote weight loss.
Hormonal Imbalances: Hormonal imbalances can actually slow metabolism. Conditions like hypothyroidism, where the thyroid hormone is low, can lead to a slower metabolism. In the same way, high levels of the stress hormone cortisol can affect your metabolism and lead to weight gain.
Factors You May Not Be Able To Control
There are several factors influencing your metabolism that are, unfortunately, out of your control:
Age: As we age, our muscle mass naturally decreases and this leads to a slower metabolism. This often results in weight gain if we don’t adjust our nutrition and physical activity levels to compensate. Strength training can be a great way to combat this loss of muscle mass, helping to boost metabolism and support weight loss.
Assigned Sex: Your gender also plays a role in your body’s metabolic rate. Men tend to have more muscle mass than women, which means they naturally burn a higher number of calories, even at rest. This is known as the basal metabolic rate.
Genetics: Genetics also play a part in determining your body’s metabolism. Some people are born with a faster metabolism, while others may struggle with a slow metabolism due to genetic factors.
Pre-existing Conditions: Medical conditions such as hypothyroidism can also affect your metabolism. The thyroid hormone plays a key role in regulating metabolism, and a deficiency can lead to a slower metabolic rate.
How to Boost Metabolism Naturally
1. Eat Plenty Of Protein At Every Meal
Eating food can boost your metabolism for a few hours. This is known as the thermic effect of food (TEF). The body burns calories to digest, absorb, and process the nutrients in your meals.
Protein causes the largest rise in TEF. It increases your metabolic rate by 15–30%, compared to 5–10% for carbohydrates and 0–3% for fats.
Eating protein has also been shown to help you feel more full and prevent you from overeating. One study found that people were likely to eat around 441 fewer calories per day when they increased their protein intake from 15 to 30%.
Eating more protein can also reduce the drop in metabolism often associated with losing fat. This is because it reduces muscle loss, which is a common side effect of diet.
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2. Drink More Water
Water is a natural metabolism booster. When you drink water, your body burns extra calories. This process, known as the thermic effect of food (TEF), happens because your body needs energy to heat the water to body temperature.
Studies show that drinking 17 ounces (0.5 liters) of water can increase your resting metabolism by 10-30% for about an hour. This calorie-burning effect may be even greater if you drink cold water, as your body uses energy to heat it to body temperature.
Water can also help you feel full and satisfied. When your body is properly hydrated, it can perform at its best in both mental and physical activity.
Plus, drinking water before meals can reduce hunger and make you eat fewer calories. This can be particularly beneficial for weight loss and weight management.
3. Do High-Intensity Workouts
High-intensity interval training, often shortened to HIIT, is a great way to boost metabolism and promote weight loss. This type of workout involves short bursts of intense physical activity followed by periods of rest or lower-intensity exercise.
HIIT is that it increases your body’s need for energy which means it burns a high number of calories not only during the workout but also for hours afterwards. This is known as the ‘afterburn effect‘. It means that your body burns calories as it works to recover and rebuild muscle mass after a strenuous workout.
Apart from burning calories, HIIT also helps to improve body composition by promoting fat loss and increasing muscle mass. This is important because muscle tissue burns more calories than fat tissue, even when at rest.
So, the more muscle mass you have, the higher your basal metabolic rate (BMR) will be, and the more calories your body will burn throughout the day.
4. Lift Weights
Strength training is possibly the absolute BEST WAY to change your metabolism.
When you engage in strength training, you build muscle mass. More muscle mass means your body burns a higher number of calories, even when you’re not working out. This is because muscle is more metabolically active than fat.
Lifting weights also helps to improve your body composition.
By increasing your muscle mass and reducing your body fat, you can achieve a healthier body composition. This can lead to a number of health benefits, including a reduced risk of heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure.
This doesn’t mean that cardio isn’t still valuable, but you should prioritize lifting weights if fat loss is the goal.
Checkout this article to bust some common misconceptions: Does Muscle Weigh More Than Fat?
5. Stand Up More
Standing up more during your day is a simple way to boost metabolism. When you sit for extended periods, your body’s need for energy decreases, and this can lead to weight gain. On the other hand, standing increases the number of calories your body burns and contributes to weight loss.
This doesn’t mean you need to stand all day. Instead, consider using a standing desk at work or make a habit of standing while talking on the phone.
Even small increases in physical activity can make a difference. Every little bit helps when it comes to boosting your metabolism.
6. Drink Green Tea Or Oolong Tea
Green tea and oolong tea have been shown to increase metabolism by 4-5%. These teas help convert stored fat into free fatty acids, increasing fat burning by 10-17%. They are also low in calories, so they can support your weight loss and weight control efforts.
Plus, green tea not only helps provide a metabolic boost, but it’s also packed with antioxidants, which can help your body fight off harmful free radicals. Oolong tea, on the other hand, can help reduce cholesterol levels and promote heart health.
7. Eat Spicy Foods
Spicy foods, especially those containing chili peppers, can give your metabolism a quick boost thanks to a compound called capsaicin, which gives peppers their heat.
Capsaicin can increase the amount of heat your body produces, making you burn more calories. This process is known as the thermic effect of food (TEF), where your body burns calories to digest food.
But keep in mind that while spicy foods can help boost metabolism, they are definitely not a magic bullet for weight loss.
This is because the increase in metabolism is temporary. That’s why it should be used alongside other healthy lifestyle habits like regular physical activity and balanced nutrition.
8. Get a Good Night’s Sleep
Sleep is often overlooked when it comes to boosting metabolism, but it plays a significant role in your body’s need for balance and health.
Lack of sleep can interfere with your body’s ability to digest food efficiently and can slow metabolism. This can lead to weight gain and a decrease in muscle mass, which can further slow your metabolism.
A good night’s sleep can help regulate hormones that control hunger and satiety. When you’re sleep-deprived, your body produces more of the hunger hormone ghrelin, which can lead to overeating.
On the other hand, when you get sufficient sleep, your body has a chance to reset these hormone levels which can help control hunger and maintain a healthy metabolism.
Research also suggests that lack of sleep can lead to insulin resistance, a condition that can contribute to diabetes and heart disease. This can further impact your metabolism, causing your body to store more calories as fat rather than burning them for energy.
9. Drink Caffeinated Beverages
Caffeinated drinks such as coffee and green tea can give your metabolism a helpful boost. The caffeine found in these beverages stimulates your nervous system, which in turn sends direct signals to the fat cells, telling them to break down fat.
Plus, caffeine can increase your metabolic rate, the number of calories your body burns while at rest.
It’s important to keep in mind that while caffeine can help with temporary weight loss and appetite control, it shouldn’t be the sole method used for weight management. Always remember to incorporate physical activity and strength training into your routine to build muscle mass and further boost your metabolism.
But be mindful of your caffeine intake. Too much caffeine can lead to anxiety, insomnia, high blood pressure, and other health issues. Fortunately, there are many caffeine free energy options I recommend trying!
10. Reduce Stress
Stress can take a toll on your body’s metabolism. When you’re stressed, your body releases the hormone cortisol, which can slow down your metabolism.
High levels of cortisol can also lead to weight gain and increase your body’s need for comfort foods, which are often high in calories and carbohydrates.
Plus, stress can disrupt your sleep pattern, preventing a good night’s sleep. Lack of sleep can also affect your body’s ability to regulate hormones that control hunger and metabolism which can then lead to weight gain.
What Are the Signs of a Slow Metabolism?
A slow metabolism can sometimes be tricky to identify, but there are certain signs that may indicate your body burns calories at a slower rate.
If you’ve noticed weight gain even when you’re mindful of your nutrition and physical activity, it could be a sign of a slower metabolism.
Feeling cold all the time is another sign. This happens because your body’s need for energy to warm and fuel itself might be lower. And so, your body burns fewer calories, which in turn leads to a slower metabolic rate.
Constant fatigue can also indicate a slow metabolism. If your body is not burning food efficiently to provide enough energy, you might feel tired all the time.
Plus, dry skin and hair, and brittle nails are signs too. These occur because your body may not be breaking down and distributing nutrients effectively due to a slow metabolism.
When to See a Doctor
It’s normal for your metabolism to slow down with age. But if you’re experiencing sudden weight gain, feeling cold all the time, or constantly feeling tired, it’s time to see a doctor.
These symptoms could be signs of a slower metabolism, often caused by hypothyroidism, a condition where the thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough thyroid hormone.
Chronic fatigue, high cholesterol, and muscle weakness are also potential signs of a slow metabolism. If you’re experiencing these symptoms, it’s important to consult a doctor.
They can run tests to determine if you have a medical condition that’s affecting your metabolism, like hypothyroidism or insulin resistance, a precursor to diabetes.
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