Metabolism is how the
body transforms calories into energy that is essential to maintain body
functions such as breathing, cell repair, and food digestion.
Some factors such as
aging, poor diet, sedentariness, or obesity, for example, can slow down the metabolism,
and therefore adopting strategies to accelerate the metabolism can help the
body to function better, in addition to increasing the expenditure of calories,
favoring weight loss and improvement of disposition.
1. Eating Thermogenic
Foods
Thermogenic foods such as pepper, cinnamon, ginger, coffee, and green tea can help raise body temperature and accelerate metabolism, facilitating the burning of fats.
These
foods can be inserted into the diet and should be consumed daily.
2. Eat More Proteins
Increasing the
consumption of food rich in proteins makes the body spend more calories to
process this nutrient during digestion, besides stimulating the gain of muscle
mass, which is a tissue that consumes much more calories than fat. Thus, the
more muscles, the more accelerated is the metabolism.
The main foods rich in
proteins are meat, chicken, eggs, fish, and cheese, which should be consumed in
practically every meal of the day.
3. Drinking Green Tea
Green tea has catechins and caffeine in its composition with thermogenic properties, which help accelerate the metabolism, making the body spend more energy.
Besides, the
catechins, caffeine, and polyphenols present in green tea reduce fat
accumulation in the body and help to burn fat, which can favor slimming.
The ideal is to drink 3
to 5 cups of green tea per day to help accelerate the metabolism.
4. Do Not Skip Breakfast
Eating breakfast is
essential because the body needs energy after long hours of night fasting, and
this meal influences the speed of metabolism throughout the day.
By skipping breakfast,
the body decreases the burning of fat to conserve energy and burn the muscles
to obtain power, which slows down the metabolism.
Therefore, to speed up
the metabolism, one should eat breakfast until an hour after waking up and
include healthy foods such as fiber, fruits, and proteins.
5. Eating Foods Rich in
Vitamin B
B complex vitamins such
as B1, B2, and B6 play an important role in body metabolism, and some studies
indicate that increased consumption of these vitamins can help boost metabolism.
Food’s rich in B
vitamins include meats, liver, whole grains, milk, derivatives, or green leafy
vegetables.
6. Exercise 2 Or 3
Times Per Week
Physical exercises help to tone up and increase muscle mass, which helps to accelerate metabolism. This occurs because the muscles spend more energy than fat cells, favoring caloric expenditure.
Also, physical exercise causes the body's metabolism to continue
increasing for about 4 hours.
A good exercise option
is to do bodybuilding or strength training at home 2 to 3 times a week, working
the muscles of the legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms, for
example.
Another option of
physical exercise, which can be done on days interspersed with strength
training, is aerobic exercises such as walking, running, swimming, cycling, or
high-intensity training that also help accelerate the metabolism and spend more
calories.
7. Reducing Stress
Trying to control
stress and anxiety is vital to decrease the production of cortisol, which is
the hormone of stress, and leads to increased production of fat in the body,
leaving the metabolism slower.
To help reduce stress
and speed up metabolism, one should practice activities that help relieve or
distract the mind, such as walking or stretching, do exercises that relax such
as meditation or yoga, or practice a hobby such as photography, sewing, or
painting for example.
8. Sleep 8 To 9 Hrs.
Per Night
Sleeping from 8 to 9 hours per night is essential to regulate hormone production, improve mood and stimulate mass muscle gain.
During sleep, the highest production of GH, the growth hormone, occurs, which will promote muscle hypertrophy.
It is also with good rest that the muscle recovers from training and grows, and the more muscle mass you have in the body, the greater the metabolism and calorie burning.