Metabolism is like the frequently heard word these days. Health enthusiasts like it. Fitness coaches want you to speed it up. But how do you jump start your metabolism?
Start your day walking.
Walking at a moderate pace in the morning as soon as you wake up can prompt your body to start burning calories. And did you know moderate pace walking on empty stomach can burn fat? Aside from that, you can enjoy sunshine and get your daily dose of vitamin D.
Eat a healthy breakfast.
Throw the bagel in the bin, and just eat oatmeal and egg. Yes, you need energy in the morning, but don’t just get your calories from any food. That cinnamon roll packs a lot of calories, but it’s all carbs. A balanced diet in the morning helps fuel your day without adding unwanted calories.
Take the stairs.
You have no idea how great an exercise climbing the stairs is. If you’re working on the fourth floor, maybe you can take the stairs and skip the elevator. Climbing the stairs works some of your major muscles–glutes, quadriceps, and hamstrings. Working these muscles boosts your metabolism.
Stand up and walk around each hour.
Working at your desk for 8 hours a day doesn’t have to mean sitting down all day. That’s a sure way to slow down your metabolism and prompt your body to store fat in the midsection. Chronic sitters tend to have belly fat. Belly fat is not good aesthetically and health-wise. Break your period sitting down by walking around for 5 minutes each hour.
Add sprints to your runs.
Running is a great fat burning activity, but your body adapts to your running pace, and soon your body becomes efficient in using up fuel for running. You can evade the dreaded plateau by adding short bursts of super intense sprints into your regular running routine. If you haven’t started running yet, then begin jogging and build your endurance for running. Then do sprints.
Lift weights.
Weight lifting is much more than a muscle building activity. People don’t just lift weights to look better. They do so to improve their fitness. Lifting weights builds stronger muscles. Bigger and stronger muscles are one key to better metabolism. The bigger your muscles, the faster your metabolism. So get to a gym and start building strength on compound workouts–bench press, dead lift, weighted squats, and lat pull downs. Lifting weights tears your muscle fibers. Repairing torn muscle fibers require energy. Thus, you keep burning calories after your workouts. Thus, your metabolism is raised after workout.
Do push-ups, chin-ups, and squats.
You can’t go to the gym? No problem. That’s not an excuse. You can work out with minimal equipment. All you need is a pull-up bar. But even a horizontal tree branch is good enough for chin-ups. You don’t need equipment for push-ups, squats, planks, and lunges. These bodyweight exercises build muscle and strength. Get stronger at these exercises, and watch your metabolism skyrocket.