The Top 5 Metabolism Boosters

Hey Guys!

POPsters know that most good things come from hard work and persistence. There’s no magic pill for the perfect body, and shortcuts aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. If you google “ways to increase your metabolism”, you’ll easily find 60 or more that claim to work. The problem with many of them is they’re not always the most practical suggestions. For example, green tea has been shown to increase metabolism, but to get the metabolic effect of burning an extra 90 calories per day, you need to drink 7 cups daily! You see…you could also just exercise for an extra 15 minutes! So are there metabolism boosters you can add in pretty effortlessly? Absolutely! Here are the top 5 most practical ways to rev up your metabolism:

MUSCLE UP!

We’ve all heard that muscle weighs more than fat. That’s actually true and not true. 1 pound of muscle and 1 pound of fat both weigh 1 pound. But the 1 pound of muscle will take up significantly less space than the fat (plus it looks a whole lot better in a bikini). But muscle actually uses more energy than fat, which is why having more keeps your metabolism running like a furnace, even if you miss a couple days in the gym. The more muscle we have, the more calories we burn. Muscle=metabolism. So if you’re a cardio junkie, it’s time to add in some weight training a couple days per week. According to health.com, “The average woman in her 30s who strength-trains 30 to 40 minutes twice a week for four months will increase her resting metabolism by 100 calories a day.” The very best way to do this is by HIIT training, especially if you loathe pumping iron. “Interval training is the best way to shed pounds, increase your metabolism, improve your cholesterol profile, and improve insulin sensitivity.” Strength training can be body weight exercises too!

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EAT BREAKFAST.

Eating within an hour of waking up literally wakes up your metabolism. It breaks the fast from the night, steadies blood sugar and sets you up to burn calories throughout the day. According to the National Weight Control Registry, 78% of 5,000 people who lost an average of 66 pounds and kept it off, eat a morning meal every day. If you’re not a breakfast eater, start with a small snack: a hard-boiled egg, small smoothie, tofu scramble or 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt will get the job done. Eventually, you’ll start getting hungrier in the morning and can add a bit more to make it a meal. And make sure you’re eating throughout the day too! Skipping meals or dipping too low in calories per day does not help you keep weight off! It simply ends up slowing down your metabolism, creating a challenging and disheartening uphill battle for weight loss. If you haven’t read my personal story about this, click here.

GET ENOUGH PROTEIN.

Protein makes us feel fuller longer (that’s a huge-win for hungry girls everywhere!) because it’s digested more slowly than fat and carbs. This is especially important at breakfast. The metabolism booster here comes from a process called thermogenesis. “Your body uses about 10% of its calorie intake for digestion. So, because it takes longer to burn protein than carbs or fat, your body expends more energy absorbing the nutrients in a high-protein diet,” according to health.com. This does not mean you need to carry around a cooler filled with chicken breasts and drink egg whites from a jug. It simply means that eating protein with every meal is important if you hope to stay full, preserve lean muscle mass, stabilize your blood sugar and casually burn some extra calories without any extra effort.

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DRINK RIGHT.

As boring as it might sound, water really is the fountain of youth in so many ways! A study by The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism showed that after drinking about 2 tall glasses of water, participants’ metabolic rates increased by 30 percent! The researchers estimate that increasing daily water intake by about 6 cups would burn an extra 17,400 calories over the course of the year—resulting in a weight loss of close to five pounds. Conversely, alcohol can undo all that hard work. When your body breaks down a cocktail, it takes precedence over any food in your system waiting to be digested because your body knows it’s a poison and wants to get rid of it. This slows down the entire metabolic process and decreases your fat burning ability by up to 73%. If you do indulge in an occasional alcoholic beverage, keep it to skinny cocktails and wine only.

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GET FERMENTED!

If you’re not on the gut-health train, it’s time to climb aboard because this is one fad that’s not a fad at all; it’s absolute fact and it’s here to stay. In addition to the myriad of health benefits associated with fermented foods like sauerkraut, kombucha, kefir and yogurt, you can add increased metabolism to the list. Fermented foods help good bacteria in the gut process food more efficiently. A healthy gut regulates the immune system, appetite and metabolism, reduces sugar cravings, assists with elimination, and produces essential vitamins and nutrients, all of which helps maintain a healthy weight. You can ease into this if you’re unfamiliar with fermented foods. A couple tablespoons of sauerkraut per day, a low sugar kombucha drink or a few servings of plain Greek yogurt are simple, and tasty ways, to get your daily dose.

So that’s it guys! Don’t you think you can do one, or maybe all of those things? Let me know in the comments below which one you’re already doing! And which one surprises you the most!

Love you so much!