Your metabolism is the process of getting energy to every cell in your body. Think of it like the engine the moves your car. Your metabolism is always working to keep the body fueled.
Your body has an internal speedometer that regulates your base metabolic rate (BMR). It’s the pace your body uses energy when you’re at rest. Your BMR accounts for about 60 percent of the energy burned in a day. There’s lots of things happening in your body at rest such as digestion, breathing and basic muscle movement.
Your metabolism changes over time. Scientists estimate metabolism slows 2 to 3 percent per decade starting at age 20. Your metabolism isn’t set. It speeds up and slows down during a day, a week or a month. Speeding up the internal speedometer of your metabolism can weight off and help you be more fit.
Here are some helpful ways to keep your metabolism higher and internal speedometer zooming!
- Eat Plenty of Protein at Every Meal
It takes energy to eat and digest your food. Digesting protein from start to finish increases your metabolism by 15% to 30%. Protein also helps you feel more satisfied and deters overeating. Studies show when people have about 30% protein in their diets they eat fewer calories.
- Keep Moving
You’d be amazed how many calories are burned throughout the day by simply moving. Standing instead of sitting and walking instead of driving can burn hundreds of extra calories. Instead of sitting at your desk all the time try standing and working for an hour at a time. It not only burns calories but improves posture and muscle tone.
- Lift Weights
Muscle is more metabolically active than fat. The more muscle you have the higher your metabolism. That’s not to say everyone should be a bodybuilder. It means strengthening and toning the muscles helps keep your metabolism higher throughout the day and at rest. Weight training also burns calories while you’re doing it.
- Sleep Soundly
Sleep deprivation has a negative impact on metabolism. A lack of sleep is linked to a greater risk of obesity. If you don’t sleep well, you lack the energy to move and exercise. You become more lethargic. Also, a lack of sleep can lead to increased blood sugar levels and insulin resistance. It can also boost the hunger hormone ghrelin and cause you to eat more.
- Don’t Restrict Your Calories Too Much
If your diet is too low in carbs or total calories you may be slowing your metabolism. Restricting your energy too much causes your body to decrease production of certain hormones and causing you to burn fewer calories. You may be losing fat, but you could also be losing muscle too. If the body doesn’t have enough energy in the bloodstream to fuel its needs it will start to convert muscle to energy.
