Introduction
According to Dr. Richard Nahas, the higher your metabolic rate, the more calories you burn at rest which allows your body to digest food, breath, circulate blood, repair damaged blood cells, and tissues, and more at a faster rate. Your metabolism can be affected by many factors such as your body size, age, diet, sex, health status, activity level, body fat, muscle mass, genetics, and more. Some of these factors are uncontrollable but there are a few changes you can make to maximize your metabolism.
Here are a few tips you can follow to boost your metabolism:
1. Consume a healthy dose of protein with each meal
Your body needs to burn calories to digest, absorb, and process the nutrients in your meal. This is known as the thermic effect of food (TEF). Generally, dietary fats, carbs, and proteins require about 0-3 percent, 5-10 percent, and 20-30 percent of their usable energy for metabolism respectively.
Thus, consuming food will increase your metabolism for a few hours and consuming meals rich in protein will create the largest rise in TEF. When you follow a high-protein diet, 25 percent of your calories come from consuming protein. And it also helps to prevent muscle loss and the drop in metabolism that is associated with fat loss.
2. Don’t neglect resistance training
One of the best ways to improve your metabolic rate is to build more muscle mass since muscles burn more calories than fat while resting. The best way to build muscles is to perform resistance training and be on a healthy diet that facilitates muscle growth and repair.
According to a study, people who performed resistance training such as lifting heavy weights saw a 5 percent increase in their metabolism on average after 9 months.
3. Perform high-intensity interval training (HIIT)
According to researchers, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can help to burn a tremendous amount of fat and increase your metabolic rate for up to 22 hours after the training session is over.
HIIT workouts involve quick bursts of intense activity that are not suitable for amateurs, people with disabilities, or any other type of condition. Still, if you are fit for HIIT, it is the most efficient way to boost your metabolism.
4. Maintain a good sleep schedule
Sleep deprivation or a bad sleep schedule can negatively affect your health in a lot of ways. In fact, studies have shown that people who sleep less have a lower metabolic rate and trouble losing weight.
A lack of sleep has also been associated with increased insulin resistance and blood sugar levels, which increases the risk of type 2 diabetes. Plus, when you don’t receive enough sleep each and every day, your body’s ability to ghrelin (hunger hormone) and leptin (fullness hormone) decreases as well.
Conclusion
Dr. Richard Nahas suggests you drink plenty of water instead of consuming sugary drinks when you are feeling thirsty. According to a study, it has been found that drinking water can boost your metabolism by 30% for up to an hour. Also, ensure you stand up and move around frequently if you have a desk job since sitting for too long is not only unhealthy but also burns fewer calories.