If you think your metabolism is slow, don't feel like it's completely out of your control. There are things you can do to increase your metabolic rate. Personal trainer Marcus Rice (marcus__rice [1] on Instagram) wrote in an Instagram caption [2], "The most powerful way we can do this is through our activity. Obviously, exercise plays a big role in how active we are, but what about the other 23 hours of the day? This falls under the category of N.E.A.T [3] (non exercise activity thermogenesis) and how we manage this vastly changes our metabolic rate." If you include nonexercise movement, studies show you can burn 350 extra calories a day [4]! With that being said, here are eight tips to help ramp up your metabolism.
Strength Train
Marcus suggested strength training three to five times a week. Jillian Michaels agreed and told POPSUGAR, "Women should lift four times a week [6] if possible. Train each muscle twice a week with two days of rest between training days." These types of workouts will build muscle and burn fat to help you get lean [7]. Don't be afraid to challenge yourself and lift heavy [8]!
Sleep 7-9 Hours a Night
Not getting enough sleep can make it harder to lose weight [9] because it increases your hunger hormones, which increase your cravings. "When you're tired, your body craves sugar [10]," so you eat more the next day, Beachbody trainer Autumn Calabrese told POPSUGAR.
Shut off the TV, your phone, and lights at a reasonable hour. Try to make sleep and waking happen at the same time and get seven to eight hours nightly.
Get Your Protein In
Marcus suggested aiming for between 0.7 to 1.1 grams of lean protein per pound of bodyweight [11]. What's great about lean proteins like fish, tofu [12], eggs, and turkey is they help you stay satiated longer, keeping hunger at bay. Protein also provides you with lots of energy and burns more calories when digested.
Make Movement Hard
We live in a world where everything is at our fingertips. Anything can be delivered to you, or you can hop in a car or on a subway and get to wherever you want to go with minimal effort. Moving throughout the day is an easy way to rev up your metabolism, so find ways to make these little tasks harder by making you have to do the work. Walk up three flights to a bathroom on a different floor. Ride your bike to the grocery store. Go out and walk to pick up lunch. You can also add in short bursts of exercise like this one-minute bathroom workout [13]. These moments of extra movement add up!
Drink Heaven's Nectar (i.e. Coffee)
According to Healthline [14], caffeine increases your resting metabolic rate (the number of calories you burn at rest) by three to 11 percent [15]. The higher your rate, the easier it is for you to lose weight and keep it off. One study [16] even found caffeine to boost the fat-burning capabilities in lean women by 29 percent. Go for green or black tea, black coffee, or coffee in your protein smoothie [17].
Stay Hydrated
Thirst is often mistaken for hunger, so when you feel like you want to eat, drink a huge glass of water, wait 10 minutes, and see how you feel. Often you'll find you aren't hungry anymore. Drinking water throughout the day can also keep your belly full. A study also showed that people who drank eight to 12 glasses of water a day burned more fat [18] than those who only drank four. Aim to drink 80 or more ounces a day [19].
Don't Sit All Day
Marcus recommended getting a standing desk so you don't sit all day long [20]. Standing burns slightly more calories than sitting, but it also encourages you to keep your core strong, increases circulation, and may inspire you to get up and walk around more. If that doesn't inspire you to order a standing desk ASAP, maybe this will: sitting all day not only causes back pain and tight hamstrings, but researchers at UCLA [21] revealed it can also be bad for your brain, increasing the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and premature death.