Isn’t it every woman’s dream to eat what she wants, when she wants? Kick start your metabolism is what you need to do to achieve that dream. The constant worries of counting calories, hitting the gym, and burning extra fat can be daunting. The supportive CGS Team has put together a few ways to kick start your metabolism to help you enjoy the foods that you want, in moderation of course. Check out these 5 easy ways to speed up your metabolism, even when you’re not working out.
Eat Breakfast
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it’s the first meal of the day. It basically sets the tone for your metabolism. Starving yourself in the morning doesn’t help your metabolism speed up; in fact it slows it down. Similar to a car needing gas to go, your body needs energy from food to help it function.
According to Women’s Health Magazine, women who ate little to nothing in the morning were more likely to gain 3 pounds more than compared to a woman who ate breakfast. After a good night’s rest it’s important to fuel your body, otherwise your body is left to fend for itself. This means your fat may be stored, and that’s never good!
Drink Cold Water
We all know how great water is for us, but who knew that water helps speed up your metabolism?! It’s more than just drinking water, it’s actually drinking chilled water. Studies have shown that after drinking 17 ounces of cold or iced water, the person’s metabolism had an increase of about 30 percent.
Making it a habit to drink cold water can benefit you in the long run. When drinking chilled water your body may actually burn a few calories while heating the cold water to match that of your internal body temperature, therefore forcing your metabolism to work harder and faster.
Include Protein into your Diet
Most people associate protein with muscle gain, but there’s much more to it! Protein in your diet can increase your metabolism. Protein not only keeps you fuller longer, but it’s healthier for you to consume. It helps you build and maintain lean muscle mass which makes it easier to see your physical progress.
The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn while remaining sedentary. This means your metabolism is working even when you’re sitting around. Researchers suggest that your body weight in grams is the best amount of protein to intake while working out. So, if you weigh 125lbs, you should intake 125 grams of protein to help feed the muscles you’ve been working on. The great thing is that protein can be found in most common foods. Chicken, turkey, eggs, milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, and peanut butter all have protein.
Stay Active
Staying stagnant all the time has never helped anyone’s metabolism! We’re not saying that you need to kill yourself in the gym, but make sure you get outside for a walk at least once a day. Staying active is the focal point of a quick metabolism. If you work at a desk job, it’s essential to get up, stretch and move around.
While at the gym, amp up your regular work out and add 5 minutes to your cardio every other day. Studies have discovered that inactivity (4 hours or more in a setting) causes a near shutdown in enzymes that controls fat and cholesterol metabolism. To keep these enzymes active and your metabolism going, it’s critical to break up long periods of downtime by standing up and moving around.
Get Rest
Sleeping Beauty knew exactly what she was doing when she was getting all that rest! A person who doesn’t get enough sleep not only wakes up cranky, but slows down their metabolism. On average, a person should get around 6-8 hours of sleep before they start their day.
Making sure you get the correct amount of sleep will improve your metabolism and keep it on track. Less sleep essentially means more stress, which can contribute to continuous weight gain. Check out the post Get Your Beauty Rest: Products for a Great Night’s Sleep to get some help getting the right amount of shut eye.
Related: 5 Foods that Kill Your Metabolism
Incorporating these 5 simple tasks into your everyday routine will help you speed up your metabolism and keep you fit for longer! Slowly but surely you will feel the effects of the tasks and begin to see a change in your body and metabolism. What you digest has a great influence in how your body will look and function. Staying hydrated and getting plenty of rest is important for anyone, not just those looking to increase their metabolism. What tips have you tried to help boost your metabolism? How do you stay active during a long work day? We want to hear what works for the community, so leave a comment below to share!
2 thoughts on “Kick Start Your Metabolism!”
What suggestions do you have for someone who is limited physically as far as exercise goes? I was doing a lot of yoga prior to my knee injury but I am still unable to do most of the poses. Walking is extremely painful most of the time. I need to get moving but I don’t want another surgery anytime soon but I feel so old these days. What can I do to break this cycle?
Great points! I just started drinking cold water in the mornings and wow what a boost. Loving it. I bought a new designer swim suit and now I have to spot train just to make sure it fits right… lol Whatever it takes.