Are you having a hard time losing those last few pounds? Before you throw in the towel, your metabolism might be the obstacle in your way. The metabolism is the rate at which your body burns calories and converts fuel to energy, which affects how much weight you gain or lose. Other factors, like genetics, age, gender and body size all determine how quickly your metabolism works, but you can make small changes to your daily routine that rev up the fat burning process.
Fuel your mornings
Although skipping breakfast might save you time in the morning, your metabolism will be crying out for help. Eating something first thing in the morning will jumpstart your metabolism and give you a boost of energy that will set the pace for the rest of your day. By eating breakfast, your blood sugar levels will stabilize, so you will be less likely to get those midnight munchies! Eating breakfast can increase your resting metabolism up to 10 percent, so go on, make time for breakfast.
Find your physical
Start getting physically active to get a more active metabolism! Cardio, like running, walking, or riding your bike, increases the flow of oxygen to your muscles, which helps eliminate body fat. Not only will you fire up your metabolism during your workout, but the benefits will continue afterwards, even with your feet up.
Make muscle gains
To supplement your cardio workout add some weight lifting to your regime. When you build muscle mass, your body will burn calories at a higher rate. One pound of muscle burns up to nine times the amount of calories that a pound of fat burns. After your strength training session, your metabolism will remain in overdrive for up to two hours. You’ll be looking leaner from lifting in no time!
Drink green
Drink your way to health with green tea, an antioxidant powerhouse. Green tea contains an active ingredient called catechin which improves your metabolism and helps you zap away the fat. By increasing how your body burns stored energy (called thermogenesis by the way), stimulating the nervous system and amplifying fat oxidation, green tea can help you burn calories at a faster rate.
Say “Yes, please” to Omega-3s
They’re called essential fatty acids for a reason. Omega-3s found in salmon, herring, tuna, walnuts and flaxseeds balance blood sugar levels and reduce inflammation, which keep your metabolism constantly churning. By including this nutrient into your diet, you will also reduce resistance to leptin, a hormone that regulates your energy balance and controls hunger. You are what you eat, so eat some Omega-3s to look great and feel even better.
