Guide : 9 Tips to Increase Your Metabolism and Lose Weight

Those who want to lose weight would go for adapting various processes and ways which could increase their metabolism or basal metabolism rate. An increased basal metabolic rate (BMR) or resting metabolic rate (RMR) helps you to lose weight as your body burns more calories. With increased metabolism, it is not mandatory to lower calorie intake.

Some ways to increase the metabolism rate of your body are listed below. Know them so that you can increase your metabolism rate and lose excess fat.

1. Eat small meals frequently during the day

When you eat 1 or 2 times a day, your body slows down its metabolism rate, so that it can preserve the energy. By eating small, yet frequent meals, you can maintain a high metabolism rate throughout the day. Switch from oily junk snacks to fruits. Fruits are an excellent metabolism rate booster. 5 or 6 small meals a day, each meal taken after every 2 to 3 hours, is good for enhancing your BMR.

2. Eat the right food items

What you eat in your frequent meals is also very important for your metabolic rate. Do not eat junk food. Try to make each meal complete by adding healthy food items to it. Vegetables have high fiber content. Fruits and vegetables have high satiation value, low-fat content and high nutrient value. They are very advantageous for your health. The body tries hard to break the non-digestible fiber of vegetables to smaller constituents. In the process, the BMR gets increased. Other protein-rich food items like nuts, chicken, and eggs also contribute significantly towards enhanced BMR. Fish has omega 3 fatty acids and are great for boosting BMR. Increased burning of 400 calories has been found in people who consume fish.

3. Supplements

Fish oil supplements are beneficial for increasing BMR and for decreasing weight. Fish oil capsules with more than 300 milligrams of EPA and DHA (omega 3 fatty acids) are ideal for increasing BMR.

4. Use less amount of modern conveniences

The body is able to burn more calories and has increased BMR when it is at natural and normal temperature. Use of heaters, air conditioners, etc, have a negative impact on BMR. Being at a natural temperature of surroundings also increases your appetite, which in turn increases your BMR. Therefore do not be artificially cozy or chilly too often, if you want to have a high BMR.

5. Be more physically active

Being more active can enhance your BMR. It is good to stand and walk more when you want to increase BMR. Do not spend great lengths of time on your working desk, on your couch watching television and at other places where you do not move much. The more active you are during the day, the higher your BMR is. You should stretch or walk during the breaks you get.

6. Build more body muscles

Muscles contribute more to metabolism than fat. The more muscles you have the more will be your resting metabolic rate (RMR). When you exercise, more muscles will have a positive impact on your basal metabolic rate (BMR). Same amount of muscle burns 73 more calories per kilogram per day. Strength training is a great way of building muscles. You can increase your lean muscle mass by exercising with weights. The enhanced muscle mass will contribute positively to increased metabolic rate.

7. Do aerobic exercises

Any exercise will increase your metabolism rate but aerobic and cardio vascular exercises are best for enhancing metabolism. The heart rate should be at an increased level and the activity must be done for at least 30 minutes, for proper metabolism boosting. Jogging, running and swimming are some exercises which are highly beneficial for increasing BMR.

8. Have adequate sleep

Sleep contributes positively to your metabolism rate. If you do not sleep properly, your body fails to burn adequate amount of calories while being at rest and during other day-to-day activities. The body burns around 70 percent of its total calories when it is resting. Therefore sleeping to satisfaction is good for your health and for your resting metabolic rate.

9. Go for clinical checkup

Certain diseases contribute to lowering of metabolism rate, for example hypothyroidism. A clinical test will help you find out any such conditions. They can be cured. The metabolism rate will increase consequently.

There are some factors which cannot be controlled or altered. With age, metabolism rate goes down (5% decrease with each decade, after a person attains 40 years of age). Gender also has an impact on metabolism rate with men having higher metabolism rate than women. Genes also play some role. When you lose weight, the metabolic rate also goes down. Carry out a balanced approach for increasing your metabolic rate. Do not overdo your exercise. Eat a well balanced diet.