Ways To Speed Up Your Metabolism

Introduction:

Metabolism is a complex process in which the body converts food into energy. During this process, calories are combined with oxygen to produce the energy required by the body to function. The body needs the energy to perform basic resting activities such as breathing, blood circulation, balancing hormones, and growing cells. Hence, metabolism depicts all the chemical reactions that occur in the body to maintain the living state of the cells.

What Are the Different Types of Metabolism?

There are two types of metabolism. They are:

1. Catabolism: Catabolism is the process in which food molecules break down to produce energy. Large food molecules are broken down into smaller and simpler molecules needed for growth and repair. The hormones involved in catabolism are adrenaline, cortisol, and glucagon.

2. Anabolism: Anabolism is the synthesis of all compounds required by the cells in the body. It is the process in which the small molecules are built into larger and more complex molecules. The liver and kidneys produce glucose from non-carbohydrate sources in anabolism.The hormones involved in anabolism are estrogen, insulin, growth hormone, and testosterone.

What Is Metabolic Rate?

The metabolic rate is divided into three components. They are the basal metabolic rate, thermic effect of food, and energy used during physical activity.

What Is Basal Metabolic Rate?

The amount of calories the body needs to carry out the basic functions is called the basal metabolic rate (BMR). BMR accounts for the body’s largest amount of energy spent daily. The factors that affect the BMR are:

• Age and Gender: Metabolism slows down as age increases because of hormonal changes and other factors. Men have faster metabolism as they tend to have a large body size.

• Body Size: Large body-sized individuals have a greater BMR.

• Growth: Infants and children require more energy due to the energy demands of growth and the extra energy required to maintain their body temperature.

• Diet: Eating fewer calories can slow down the metabolism to conserve energy. And dietary deficiencies like low iodine levels can reduce thyroid functioning, resulting in a slower metabolism.

• Physical Activity: Regular exercise can increase muscle mass, causing the body to burn more calories faster. Intense exercise can require more energy to burn.

What Are the Thermic Effects of Food?

The BMR increases after eating because the body requires energy to digest and metabolize food. The rise in the BMR varies according to the size and type of food. BMR rises soon after eating and reaches its peak after two to three hours. The foods that contribute to the increase in BMR are fats, carbohydrates, proteins, and spicy hot foods.

What Is the Energy Spent During Physical Activity?

Physical activity is defined as the body movements done by muscles that result in energy expenditure. Energy spent during exercise is the only way energy expenditure can be controlled. During intense exercise, the muscles burn out more calories.

What Are the Ways to Speed Metabolism?

Speeding up the metabolism can provide more energy. Hence, a person also feels better. There are some ways to speed up the metabolism.

1. Take in a Lot of Protein and Fiber in Every Meal: According to the thermic effects of food, eating food can raise the BMR for a few hours as calories are required to digest and metabolize food. Proteins are a kind of food that increase the metabolic rate. Eating protein can also make a person feel full and prevent overeating. Further, proteins aid in speeding up metabolism and burning calories. Consuming more fiber and whole grain intake is inversely related to obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2 DM), cancer, and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Hence, increased dietary fiber levels may contribute in a non–medicinal way to speed up metabolism.

2. Drink More Cold Water: Drinking water helps to boost metabolism and keeps one full before meals. Sugary drinks contain calories. Hence, replacing sugary drinks with water can reduce the intake of calories. The calories-burning effect is greater if one drinks cold water because the body uses energy to heat it up to body temperature.

3. High-Intensity Exercise: High-intensity exercises like strength training and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) help to increase metabolism. It also helps burn more fat. Mixing up exercises by adding a few high-intensity exercises speeds up the metabolism. Moderate aerobic exercise includes brisk walking, cycling, and swimming. On the other hand, vigorous aerobic exercise includes activities such as running and dancing.

4. Standing Up More: Sitting for long periods of time can only burn a few calories and affect health as well. Hence, by standing up regularly, one can burn more calories.

5. Lifting Heavy Things: Muscle is more metabolically active than fat. Hence, lifting weights helps retain muscle. Building muscle also helps boost metabolism. The best method is to combine proper protein with weight training, which can increase muscle mass.

6. Have Spicy Meals: Spicy foods contain some natural chemicals that can speed up metabolism. Although the effect is temporary, eating spicy foods can boost the metabolic rate.

7. Drink Green Tea: Green tea has combined benefits of caffeine and catechins which boost metabolism for a couple of hours. Studies have reported that green tea contains epigallocatechin gallate. It may increase the calories and fat burn.

8. Have Good Sleep: Lack of sleep can increase the risk of obesity. It decreases the number of calories a person burns and disturbs the appetite-regulating hormones.

What Are the Foods That Boost Metabolism?

The foods that can boost metabolism are the following:

• Protein-rich foods: These include meat, fish, eggs, legumes, nuts, and seeds.

• Mineral-rich foods: Minerals like iron and selenium play a vital role in the proper functioning of the body.

• Others: Chilli Peppers, coffee, tea, ginger, garlic, and apple cider vinegar are some other examples.

What Are the Disorders of Metabolism?

Hormones affect the metabolism causing hormonal disorders. Genes also play an essential role in metabolism. Hence, there are some inherent genetic disorders of metabolism. Some of the hormonal disorders of metabolism are thyroid disorders, such as hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism. Some of the genetic disorders of metabolism are fructose intolerance, galactosemia, and phenylketonuria.

Conclusion:

Being less active, aging, and losing muscle mass can slow down the metabolism. However, there are a number of ways to speed up the metabolism. Adding a few strategies can keep the metabolism at pace. But, one should not choose dietary supplements to burn calories or lose weight. The products that claim to speed up metabolism do not live up to the expectations. Besides, some may also cause adverse effects.