Naturally Boost Your Metabolism

Metabolism is a term that describes all chemical reactions in your body.  It often is used interchangeably with “metabolic rate”, which is the number of calories you burn.  The higher this is, the more calories and fat you naturally burn off and keep off.  In addition, having a higher metabolism can give you more energy and make you feel better.  Who doesn’t want that?

Here are 7 ways to naturally kick your metabolic rate up so that you can burn more fat:

1.  Eat Protein At Every Meal: Eating protein raises your metabolic rate by 15-30% and can make you feel fuller longer, which can keep you from overeating.  Eating protein also keeps you from losing muscle mass, which is a common side effect of dieting.

2.  Do High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT): I know you’ve heard this before-intervals of quick and intense bursts of activity during exercise has been proven to help boost your metabolism and burn more fat than steady cardio and it still works long after your workout is over!

3.  Lift Heavy: Having more muscle on your body allows you to naturally burn more calories and fat in any given day.  Lifting heavy weights vs light weights is more effective in helping you increase your muscle mass and improve your metabolic rate.

4.  Drink Green or Oolong Tea: Both of these teas have shown to increase metabolism by 4-5%.  They are low in calories and may help promote weight loss and weight maintenance in certain people.

5.  Get a Good Night’s Sleep: Lack of sleep is linked to a major increase in the link to obesity.  It is also linked to raising blood sugar levels, insulin resistance, increasing your hunger hormones, and decreasing the hormones that make you feel full.

6.  Drink Coffee (yay!): Studies have shown that coffee (like green tea) can boost metabolism up to 11%.

7.  Stand Up More:  Sitting too much is bad for your health and can cause you to gain significant amounts of weight.  (Not to mention the bad effects it has on your heart!)  If you have a desk job-set an alarm every 10 minutes that will remind you to get up, walk around, and get the blood flowing in your body.  (This will also help you refocus and get more energy as you continue working.)_MIR8203

Burn More Fat During Exercise

We all want to know how we can get the most out of our workouts in the shortest amount of time possible.  I’ve never been someone who enjoys exercising for hours a day; I prefer to get in & get a super-effective workout quickly so that I can move on with my day.
Want to get the most out of your workouts and burn more fat during exercise?  The following are ways that you can start burning more calories and increase your lean muscle mass during your workouts, starting today:

1.  Focus On BIG Movements
Multi-joint exercises engage maximum muscle tissue, increase the calories you expend, and raise your metabolism.  These exercises target multiple muscle groups instead of isolated muscle movements.  Examples: squat with shoulder press, lunge hold with bicep curls, push-ups with weighted donkey kicks.

2.  Use Heavier Weights With Shorter Rest Periods
Research shows that training with heavier weight helps raise your metabolism higher & for longer than training with light weights.  Also-researchers from the College of New Jersey reported that people who rested between sets for 30 seconds vs 1-3 minutes burned significantly more calories.

3.  Intensify Your Rest Periods
Instead of sitting around on your bum in between weight lifting sets, try skipping rope or doing a round of mountain climbers.  Doing little “bursts” of cardio in-between your strength moves adds up to serious fat burning and also improves endurance levels!

4.  Perform Fast, Fun Cardio
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) has been proven to be a way better method for burning fat compared to long, slower paced cardio.
A study published in the International Journal of Obesity compared individuals who did steady-state cardio for 40 minutes to those who completed just 20 minutes of HIIT training, both for three times a week. The HIIT group lost a significant amount of body weight and body fat compared to the steady-state group. The steady-state group actually saw a 1 pound increase in fat mass!  Try to choose different forms of cardio-the more variety, the better!  Examples: intervals of sprints, rowing machine, stair stepper, elliptical, bike riding, plyometrics, etc…

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Barbells in CLT

If you have questions or would like help in creating a more fat-burning workout routine for yourself, message me HERE.