You must have wondered quite a many timesabout why some people manage to stay thin despite eating all day, while you tend to gain weight even if you don’t eat much. Well, this difference is due to a body mechanism that we call metabolism or the metabolic rate.
The higher it is, the more calories your body burns and it becomes quite easy to maintain normal body weight. Aging and a plethora of other factors at times challenge a person’s metabolism and reduce metabolic rate. If you desire to have a high metabolic rate even as you age, you can consider these following ways.
Don’t overcut calories
Cutting down calorie intake is certainly a good way to lose weight but overcutting calories is not. Suppose you suddenly cut 1,000 calories from your diet. As a result, your resting metabolic rate will slow down. This happens because the body perceives the sudden change as starvation, and starts to prepare accordingly. Therefore, keep your calorie consumption in accordance with your level of activity.
Never skip your breakfast
Many people think that skipping meals is a good way to lose weight. However, this is one of the biggest misconceptions that one could ever have. Skipping meals, especially breakfast is bad. In fact, it is recommended to have breakfast within half an hour or one hour of waking up in the morning.
After a night’s sleep, a nice morning breakfast helps replenish body that works wonders for making all systems work properly through the day. Waiting to have breakfast till the time you feel totally famished will do no good, rather it will slow down your body metabolism. So never wait for the time to feel hungry, as our body stops burning calories when we feel hungry.
Lift weights and high-intensity workout
Lifting weights or weight training helps you build muscles, which in turn improves body’s metabolic rate. Therefore, do your weight training, preferably in the morning, to enjoy a revved up metabolic rate. Likewise, indulge in various high-intensity workouts that will help you burn fats quickly by enhancing your metabolic rate.
Meditate
Meditation is believed to optimize overall health including body’s metabolism. A decreased metabolic rate is often a result of stress. Those who meditate on a regular basis know the undeniable role meditation plays in helping them manage stress. You also make it a habit to meditate quite often to see results like reduction in stress, controlled eating habits and increased metabolic rate.
Adequate water intake
Out of the many benefits that adequate water intake has, a high metabolic rate is one. A well hydrated body has a higher metabolic rate in comparison to the one with a poor hydration level.
Mini meals
Eating five to six mini meals in a day is much more beneficial than having three big meals. After a one big meal, you wait for long to get hungry again and eat a second big meal. Waiting for so long and overeating when you feel too hungry results in a low metabolic rate. Therefore, go about having small meals at short intervals in a day.
Avoid alcohol intake before a meal
Many love to have alcohol just before they have their meal. It is not a good idea, as it makes a person eat about 200 calories more. Also, as per a research body burns off alcohol first. This means calories of the meal are stored as fat in body, which contributes to weight gain.
Enough sleep
Lack of sleep is yet another reason that results in a reduced body metabolic rate. So manage to have adequate sleep every night for good metabolism.
There are many factors that challenge metabolism or the fat burning potential of our body. There are numerous ways that you can consider to keep your metabolic rate high.