5 Fast Ways to Raise Your Metabolism Today

When you think about the calories your body burns, you may wonder where they go and how you can get your body to burn more of them.

Up to 75% of the calories your body burns are used simply to stay alive. Breathing, talking, blinking and keeping the blood circulating - all of these systems require calorie expenditure. Another 5-10% of your daily calories are used to chew, swallow and digest food. The remaining 15-20% are burned during exercise.

So by boosting our metabolism, we can up the number of calories used each day for normal body functions and during exercise, resulting in a larger consumption of calories and more fat burned everyday.

What are some easy ways to do that?

1. Take a walk

2. Breathe deeply, using all of your lung capacity

3. Use the stairs, instead of the elevator

4. Play with your kids

5. Do 10 pushups whenever you can

These 5 easy things keep your motor running on high. By incorporating one or all of them into your daily routine, you’ll be boosting your metabolism, burning more calories and losing weight every day.

Ready to Lose Weight? Take A Deep Breath

What is the easiest thing you can do to boost your metabolism, burn more calories and lose weight? Breathe deeply.

Taking time to stop and take a deep breath can do wonders for your waist line and your state of mind. Deep breathing cleans toxins out of your system, increases your circulation, calms your mind and helps you focus. Breathing deeply is also an aerobic activity that actually burns calories.

Typically, we tend to take shallow breaths, using just the top part of our lungs. This creates a back-up of carbon dioxide and slows metabolism. But spending just 10 minutes a day focusing on deep breathing brings more oxygen into your system, making you more alert and speeding your metabolism.

To get the most out of your breath, sit or stand up straight and put your hand on your stomach. As you breathe in deeply, your shoulders should be still, but your hand should move as your diaphragm fills your lungs. Now you are using your lungs to capacity, taking in oxygen and burning calories with every breath.

Using Your Metabolism to Lose Weight

Are you trying to lose weight, but it feels like your body is fighting you every step of the way? It’s frustrating when you get off to a great start, losing a few pounds, but then you hit a plateau. Even if you keep doing all the “right” things - cutting calories and exercising, sometimes your body just won’t cooperate.

Maybe the problem is your metabolism.

Your metabolism is the engine that keeps your body going and depending on how it’s running, it’s either burning calories and fat or storing them for later use. Knowing how to keep your metabolism in fat burning mode is the key to weight loss.

When most people start a new diet program, they drastically cut back on the calories they take in. This does  results in weight loss, but your metabolism quickly adapts, burning fewer calories as it tries to save up for the lean times to come. This is why you plateau.

Don’t cut too many calories. Eating less than 1200 calories a day puts your body into starvation mode and shuts your metabolism down. Keep your metabolism running high by eating 5 or 6 small meals a day. This will burn the maximum calories and fat, resulting in a new and slimmer you!

Foods that Boost Metabolism

Trying to drop a few pounds? Try these nutritious foods for a slimmer you.

Your body works hard to digest the food you eat and just knowing which foods to feed it can help it work a little bit harder, burning even more calories.

Your body digests carbohydrates easily and eating too many starchy foods can result in stored fat and tighter jeans. But when you eat protein and fat, your body has to work nearly 30% harder to digest them, resulting in more calories burned and a metabolism that’s running on high for the next 2-3 hours.

Your best bet is to indulge in foods that are high in both protein and fiber. This combination gives your body what it needs to perform well and keeps your metabolism high. Have a handful of nuts as a snack and try rice and beans or lentils for supper.

Also, when you eat matters. Try to consume most of your calories before 5:00 pm. Eating the majority of your calories while you are active and your metabolism is running at its peak will burn far more calories than food eaten right before bedtime, which is mostly stored as fat.

Cashews, anyone?

Use Exercise to Pump Up Your Metabolism

Want To Give Your Metabolism an Early Morning Lift? Exercise!

Nothing gets your metabolism up and running like exercise, and doing it first thing in the morning gives your metabolism a boost that lasts all day, maximizing your fat burning potential. Exercise burns calories and increases muscle tissue that continues to work hard to keep you lean, even while you sleep.

To burn calories, the best workout is aerobic exercise, like walking, swimming, stair climbing or cycling. In addition to the calories you burn during your workout, your metabolism stays pumped for 6-8 hours, burning calories long after you’ve put away your gym shoes.

Consider adding a day or two of toning to your fitness regiment. Toning not only burns calories, but it increases muscle mass to keep you looking your best - fit and lean.

Get Moving!