Introduction
Your metabolism is one of the most important functions of your body. It’s responsible for all the energy you use and everything that happens to your food once it’s in your body. There are many ways to speed up this system. But you should also be aware that there are many factors that can slow down your metabolisms, such as age and genetics.
Help your thyroid
The thyroid is a small gland located at the base of your throat. Thyroid hormones control metabolism and are essential for energy, growth, and development. They help regulate how fast your body uses calories and controls how quickly you burn fat.
If you have an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), it means that your thyroid hormones are too low in their activity level to keep up with the demands of all your cells. As a result, your metabolism will slow down—and so will your weight loss efforts! The good news is that there’s a super easy way to help give yourself an extra boost: iodine!
Iodine helps maintain healthy thyroid function by providing it with what it needs to produce thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). These two hormones are responsible for converting oxygen into energy that can be used by our bodies—including our brains!
Drink lots of water
Drink lots of water. It’s hard to go wrong with this tip. Water flushes out toxins, helps digestion and your skin look younger, and is a crucial part of muscular recovery following physical activity. If you’d like an extra reason to drink more water, keep in mind that it can speed up your metabolism as well!
If you’re not sure how much to drink in one day, start by looking at the color of your urine when it comes out. If it’s dark yellow or darker than lemonade-colored urine then you’re probably dehydrated (and could use some more H2O).
Eat more protein
- Protein is a great source of energy and is more filling than carbs. In fact, researchers from the University of Washington found that people who ate protein-rich meals lost more weight than those who ate carb-heavy meals over time.
- Protein helps build lean muscle mass, which boosts your metabolism and helps you burn calories faster throughout the day (even when you’re not exercising). It also improves your body’s ability to use insulin — one of the most important hormones for keeping blood sugar levels stable — so if you have diabetes or prediabetes, adding more protein into your diet can help prevent dangerous spikes in blood sugar levels after meals.
- Many people assume that they need to avoid eating too much animal and dairy products because they’re high in saturated fat but it turns out this isn’t necessarily true! While there is some truth to this claim when it comes to processed meats like bacon strips (which are often cured with sodium nitrite), grass-fed beef contains higher amounts of omega-3 fatty acids along with conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which has been shown through multiple clinical trials conducted since 1999 at Colorado State University not only improve cholesterol levels but also support healthy weight loss efforts without affecting insulin sensitivity negatively.”
Eat often, but eat small meals
Eating small meals frequently throughout the day will help you lose weight, and eating every 2-3 hours has been shown to prevent hypoglycemia and insulin resistance. Eating every 3 hours for optimal weight loss is also recommended.
While there is no exact science on how often you should eat, it’s generally accepted that eating every 2-3 hours will keep your metabolism running at its highest level. In addition to keeping your blood sugar levels steady, this prevents any dips in energy that may make it difficult for you to concentrate or focus on other tasks.
Have a cup of coffee
If you’re looking to speed up your metabolism, look no further than coffee. And no, we’re not kidding! Coffee is a major player in helping your body burn fat and lose weight. Here are some of the benefits:
- Caffeine helps burn fat by boosting metabolism, which means it can help you lose weight faster. It also has a thermogenic effect that increases the production of heat by burning calories more quickly in the body.
- Caffeine may make you feel more awake when used before exercising or working out, giving you more energy and making it easier for you to stick with a routine that would otherwise be difficult for someone who’s tired all day long (like someone who works multiple jobs).
- By drinking caffeine on an empty stomach before exercising or working out at night keeps blood sugar levels stable during those times when there isn’t enough light coming from outdoors yet because it takes place around sunset/sunrise; this leads us into our next point…
Exercise — and don’t sit for long periods
One of the most important things you can do for your metabolism is exercise. If you’re not in shape, start by walking or taking a walk around your neighborhood three times a week and then add more exercises as you get more fit. Regular exercise helps you lose weight and keep it off, and it also keeps your body healthy in many other ways.
Exercise has been shown to help with:
- Weight loss
- Lowering blood pressure
- Reducing anxiety and stress levels
Eat food with fiber
One of the most important things you can do for your metabolism is to eat fiber. Fiber helps keep you feeling full, which can help prevent overeating. It also helps with digestion and can keep your digestive system healthy. If you’re not getting enough fiber in your diet, it may be a good idea to consult a doctor or nutritionist about ways to increase your intake of soluble or insoluble fibers (or both).
On top of eating whole grains like brown rice and quinoa as well as fruits and vegetables that are high in fiber, beans are another great source of it. Beans contain both types of fiber—soluble and insoluble—which means they’re perfect for optimizing health!
Avoid sugars and starches
One of the most important things you can do to speed up your metabolism is to avoid sugars and starches. Sugar and starch are non-essential nutrients, meaning that they don’t provide any real benefits to the body. Instead, they act as filler that has no nutritional value at all.
This may sound like a cop-out (“I’m avoiding sugar because it’s bad for me!”), but hear me out: sugar causes a spike in blood sugar which can make you tired and sluggish throughout the day. Similarly, high amounts of simple carbohydrates like white bread will cause an insulin spike after eating them—and then you’ll crash shortly after due to low blood sugar levels.
Sugar also wreaks havoc on your teeth (via tooth decay) and skin (via acne). On top of that, it makes us fat! Studies show that people who eat lots of sugary foods are more likely than others to be overweight or obese—and this isn’t just because consuming too many calories makes people gain weight; there’s also evidence suggesting that consuming large amounts of refined carbohydrates weakens our ability to burn fat by causing insulin resistance over time
Don’t eat just before bedtime
It’s tempting to have a snack right before bedtime, especially if you’re having trouble falling asleep. But eating food before bed will only cause heartburn, indigestion, and other digestion issues that can keep you up at night. If your body is still working on digesting food when it should be resting, it’s going to make for a restless sleep (and the occasional trip to the bathroom).
There are many ways to speed up your metabolism.
There are many ways to speed up your metabolism, but not all of them are easy. Finding a plan that will work for you and your lifestyle is crucial, so take some time to think about how you want to approach this.
If you’re looking for an easy way out, consider drinking more water. Many experts recommend drinking eight 8-oz glasses per day (the exact number depends on the individual). Water helps flush out toxins from your body, which can lead to better digestion of food and increased energy levels—both useful when it comes to speeding up metabolism.
You might also try eating smaller portions throughout the day instead of three large meals; this will slow down your stomach’s ability to digest food quickly and may help increase your energy levels over time as well. You could also cut back on sugary drinks or foods like white breads and pastas that have little nutritional value but tend to be high in calories (these can often cause weight gain).
As always with dieting changes: don’t expect immediate results! If these steps seem too difficult right now then maybe they aren’t right for you just yet—but try not get discouraged if they don’t work immediately because there are other options available too such as working out more often than usual so that you burn more calories while still eating what amounts roughly speaking similar amounts overall between meals/snacks throughout each day…
Conclusion
There are many ways to speed up your metabolism, and now we’ve covered a few of them. Remember that it’s not just about weight loss — it’s also about feeling better. You can make changes in your diet and lifestyle that will help you boost your energy levels and improve your health without ever counting another calorie!