5 Scientifically-Backed Ways to Boost Your Metabolism Naturally

The word “Metabolism” derives from the Greek word “metabolē” that means “change” and is used to describe the set of life-sustaining chemical transformations within the cells of organisms.

What is ‘Metabolism’ and why would you want to boost it?

The three main purposes of metabolism are the conversion of food/fuel to energy to run cellular processes, the conversion of food/fuel to building blocks for proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and some carbohydrates, and the elimination of nitrogenous wastes.

Your metabolism is in every single cell in the body and it’s important to keep it functioning properly. It determines the rate at which your body burns calories and converts fuel to energy and it can also affect how easily you gain or lose weight. It also says a lot about how at-risk you are for diabetes, and how much energy you have on a day to day basis.

While much of your metabolic rate is determined by genetics, age, gender, and body size, there are some lifestyle changes that can, quite literally, speed up the process.

It’s important to note that metabolism can’t be solely held responsible for weight gain or loss. Someone with a super-fast burn can’t stay slim eating fake food and not exercising, while people with slower metabolisms aren’t automatically doomed to an overweight fate.

But even tiny adjustments to a person’s metabolic rate can add up to significant health benefits over time, says Francesco Celi, MD, chair of the Endocrinology and Metabolism Department at Virginia Commonwealth University

How to increase your metabolism, the natural way

1. • Start weight training – Muscle cells need a lot of energy, which means they burn a lot of calories. In fact, they burn more calories than fat cells, even when you’re not exercising. So, the more muscle you have the more calories you will burn at rest. This is unfortunately why it can be easier for men to lose weight than women because men naturally have a higher amount of muscle. Plus, when you start weight training, you’ll be doing more than just helping your metabolism: Your heart, bones, and even your mood will benefit. It’s a win all around. (1) (2)

1. • Take a cold shower – Cold water immersion activates the body’s natural healing powers that can relieve the symptoms of many medical conditions and promote a sense of health and well-being. And when practiced on a regular basis, cold water immersion can even provide long-lasting changes to your body’s immune, lymphatic, circulatory and digestive systems that enhance the overall quality of your life and best of all its absolutely FREE. It has also been shown to have a profound effect on your metabolism. By exposing your body to cold temperatures, you are forcing your body to burn more energy to heat itself up – thereby forcing your metabolism into high gear, (3)

1. • Intermittent Fasting – One of the biggest fasting myths is that it slows down your metabolism, in fact, the opposite is true. Short-term fasting (16-72 hours) can lower insulin levels, raise growth- hormone levels and increase amounts of norepinephrine, which all increase the breakdown of body fat and facilitate its use for energy. For these reasons, short-term fasting actually increases your metabolic rate by 3.6–14 percent, helping you burn even more calories. (4)(5)READ: Why Fast? What’s It All About?

1. • Get quality sleep – Sleep is intricately connected to various hormonal and metabolic processes in the body and is important in maintaining metabolic homeostasis (balance). Research shows that sleep deprivation may have profound metabolic and cardiovascular implications. Sleep deprivation, sleep-disordered breathing, and circadian (body clock) misalignment are believed to cause metabolic dysregulation. (6)
     
     
   • Drink water – We all know that drinking water is essential for every system and cell in the body. You will die from lack of water long before you die from lack of food. Did you know that drinking water can boost your metabolism? Studies have shown that sixty minutes after drinking water, energy expenditure increased 30% in men and 30% in women. It’s estimated that increasing water ingestion by 1.5 litres could increase daily energy expenditure by approximately 200 kJ. (7)

Is the ‘natural’ way the better way to boost your metabolism?

There’s a lot of hype around “speeding up your metabolism” and losing weight by eating different foods or taking supplements. But it’s actually very difficult to do. There is research to suggest that the above methods can have a positive effect on your metabolism, but don’t think that standing in a cold shower is going to make up for eating a diet full of sugar and processed foods.

Fundamentally, if you are looking to lose body fat, you need to be eating real food cooked from scratch and then incorporate these methods on top of that. This is the foundation for boosting your metabolism in the most natural ways and puts you in a great place to achieve long-lasting, sustainable results from your fat loss and health goals!