Losing weight can become a strenuous task: strict diets and exercise regimens that seem not to work, and if they do, as soon as you resume your daily eating habits, the dreaded rebound occurs. Thus, speed up metabolismor to lose weight it becomes so necessary for everyone who wants not only to reduce fat and lose extra kilos
What many do not know is that losing weight does not have to be such an arduous task, because you can learn to take advantage of the mechanisms of your body so that they work in your favor, for example, you can learn how increase metabolism for weight loss.
what is metabolism
Before we begin to focus on boosting metabolism, it is necessary to understand its process. It is commonly understood that metabolism is a kind of mysterious process in charge of regulating your weight. Actually, metabolism refers to a series of biochemical processes and reactions that occur at the cellular level. Life depends on its correct functioning at the molecular level, since it allows cells to reproduce, grow, respond to certain stimuli, among other functions.
What happens if the metabolism speeds up
The metabolism is divided into two processes anabolism (construction) and catabolism (degradation), in anabolic reactions, energy is released, while in anabolic reactions the energy released is used for the construction of chemical bonds and cellular components.
These processes are interdependent and the minimum amount of energy the body needs (which we get from food) to carry them out is the basal metabolic rate. What we usually call “metabolism” is actually the basal metabolic rate.
If we increase the basal metabolic rate, that is by “accelerating metabolism”, the body will consume more energy to execute the tasks so that the calories from food will be consumed instead of being stored as fat, which will help you lose weight permanently.
What does its operation depend on?
Body size, gender, age and genetics play a determining role in metabolic rate. Muscle cells require more energy to maintain, so a person with a higher muscle volume will tend to have a faster metabolism.
It is for this reason that men, who by nature have greater muscle mass and less fat than women have a faster metabolism and they need to consume more calories.
Also, as we get older, muscle mass decreases so age is essential to understand the process of metabolism. It is for this reason that it becomes more difficult to lose weight when we pass thirty.
However, these factors are not a lapidary and definitive sentence, since it is possible to speed up metabolism if we avoid certain habits that slow it down and we acquire others that stimulate it.
What slows down metabolism
In addition to the factors mentioned above, there are certain practices that can be detrimental to the basal metabolic rate. The most damaging are the so-called miracle or crash diets.
Although it is true that you can lose weight very quickly, they are usually accompanied by the so-called rebound effect; that is, when you stop the diet you recover all the lost weight quickly and sometimes a little more.
This happens for two reasons: firstly, the caloric intake of these diets is usually very low, which forces your body to break down muscle in order to obtain the energy necessary to function. Having less muscle the slower the metabolism.
On the other hand, by drastically reducing the amount of food eaten, the body goes into emergency mode, slowing down all processes to consume less energy and forcing itself to store each and every one of the calories you consume.
With a slow metabolism and less muscle mass, you gain the weight back quickly as soon as you start eating normally.
How to speed up metabolism
That is why any feeding regimen for “lose weight” that completely eliminates carbohydrates, fats, forces you to skip a meal or reduces your caloric intake excessively will be doomed to failure.
And for that reasone makes it necessary to know how to speed up metabolismwhose purpose will not only be to lose weight, but to improve the body in general.
sleep to speed up metabolism
It seems a bit paradoxical that through rest it is possible to speed up the metabolismbut several studies have shown that hThere is a correlation between hours of sleep and metabolism.
This occurs because sleep deprivation and other disorders have negative implications for cardiovascular and metabolic functioning, since it affects the metabolic regulation of glucose and other hormones that are related to weight gain and type II diabetes.
It is important that you get at least eight hours of rest each night if you want to speed up your metabolism.
Avoid skipping breakfast
When you wake up, you have more than eight hours without consuming any type of food, so it is important to provide the body with the necessary nutrients to prevent it from going into emergency mode, which would lead to muscle breakdown and the consequent slowdown of metabolism.
Prefer breakfasts loaded with protein and vegetables, because you will take advantage of the thermogenic effect (that is, your body produces more heat and you will burn more calories), you will also help maintain muscle mass and you will feel more satisfied; so you won’t overeat during lunch.
train with weights
Weights aren’t just for bodybuilders or those obsessed with having disproportionate muscularity. Lifting weights, even the lightest ones, will help you increase muscle mass and decrease fat.
Muscle tissue consumes more calories, so increasing its volume will help you lose weight.
It is enough to do training focused on the major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and back) a couple of times a week.
Drink water to help speed up metabolism
Consuming 500ml of water helps increase metabolic activity by 30%, as it induces thermogenesis. In addition, it will keep you hydrated and your skin will look better than ever.
Drink a cup of coffee in the morning
A cup of coffee increases your heart rate, which causes your metabolism to speed up for up to three hours after consumption. If you are a candidate for coffee consumption, that is: you are not hypertensive, nor do you suffer from anxiety, consider this option, otherwise you should avoid it.
He prefers black coffee, without sugar or sweetened with stevia. Avoid excess and frappe-type coffees, with creams and syrups that increase caloric intake and counteract its positive effects.
Aerobic exercises
They are the most efficient way to burn calories and reduce stored fat. You only need 30 minutes of daily physical activity, 5 days a week to speed up your metabolism for more than 12 hours and thus be able to lose weight.
learn to eat
Choose foods capable of speeding up metabolism. Tuna, yogurt, grapefruit, fermented foods and proteins in general stimulate thermogenic processes, as we mentioned earlier. Also, the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish like tuna and salmon reduce resistance to the hormone leptin, which is tied to how fat is burned.
speed up
When you are doing any physical activity, speed up for at least 30 seconds. If you are swimming, walking or running, increase your speed to the maximum and then return to your normal pace. If you’re in the office, run up the stairs quickly.
These spikes in activity help you consume more oxygen and make the mitochondria work even harder to burn energy, along with everything else this will help speed up your metabolism.
switch to green tea
This drink is not only rich in antioxidants and polyphenols, but its active ingredient helps speed up metabolism, as it promotes fat oxidation and thermogenesis.
It has no calories, so you can consume five cups of green tea daily to increase your basal metabolic rate by up to 90 calories and thereby speed up metabolism.
eat several times a day
It is preferable to eat 6 small meals a day, instead of two or three large ones. This will contribute to the acceleration of metabolism to the extent that you avoid insulin spikes, keep glucose levels stable, which prevents weight gain.
It is important to emphasize that these tips will only be effective if they are accompanied by a healthy diet and physical activity. There is no quick and miraculous way to lose weight, it is necessary to create good habits and maintain them for changes to happen.
Remember to consult professionals such as doctors and nutritionists before making drastic changes to your diet.