Boost your Metabolism: Exercise, Food, and Drinks

 

What is metabolism? 

Metabolism is the process within the body that converts food and nutrients into energy. Multiple lifestyle choices and dietary habits can impact your metabolism. The most prominent are exercise and spicy foods that effect metabolic rates.

1. Exercise for increasing metabolic rate:

Cardio such as running, brisk walking, or bicycling can increase calorie burning. The effects of doing cardio consistently can increase your metabolic rate. Along with cardio, strength training does it similarly in the sense that exercises like bodyweight or weight lifting can help build muscle mass. Muscle consumes more energy than fat tissue, thereby boosting your resting metabolic rate even during inactivity. 

2. Spicy foods:

Adding spices to your diet can help with not only enhancing flavors of your meals, but also give your metabolism a temporary boost. Capsaicin, an active compound found in chili peppers, cayenne pepper, and others have been linked to a slight increase in metabolic rate. The compound induces thermogenesis, meaning the body generates heat and burns calories to maintain its temperature. 

Facts backing this:

• According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, capsaicin helps raise energy expenditure and fat oxidation, temporarily boosting your metabolic rate. 
• Studies show capsaicin consumption increases sympathetic nervous system activity, enhancing energy expenditure. 

3. Protein:

Protein requires more energy to break down for your body to use. Protein foods like tempeh and tofu can increase the thermic effect of food or TEF, which boosts metabolic rates during digestion. 

4. Green Tea

Catechins, which is a type of polyphenol are powerful antioxidants in green tea. They have been associated with increases in metabolism and fat oxidation. 

5. Water

Drinking water or even cold water can increase metabolism as the body expends energy to warm it to body temperature, supporting the calorie burning effect. 

6. Fiber

Fiber in foods supports digestion, regulating blood sugar levels, and directly effects your metabolism.

While exercise, foods, and drinks offer metabolic boosts, the effects on each person may differ. Combining balanced nutrition, exercise, and healthy habits, is important for a healthy metabolism and well-being.