11 ways to kickstart your metabolism

Your metabolism involves a complex network of hormones and enzymes that not only convert food into fuel but also affect how efficiently you burn that fuel.

Basically the process of metabolism establishes the rate at which we burn our calories and, ultimately, how quickly we gain weight or how easily we lose it.

What you eat, how you eat it, the type of exercise you do and even how you sleep can all impact your metabolism. So if you feel like your metabolism is running at a super slow speed, here are 5 tricks that’ll rev up your body’s motor and reverse the numbers on the scale.

1. Get Enough Sleep!  Researchers have found that not getting enough sleep seriously slows down your metabolism.

2. Green Tea.  Has become a popular beverage known for its high antioxidant content. New evidence shows the active ingredient, catechin may speed up metabolism. Those who drunk at least a litre of green tea, burnt 90 calories a day. It is naturally calorie-free so make sure you enjoy a couple of mugs a day !

3. High Intensity Interval Training. Such as interval runs or sprint swimming laps are quick intense exercises that can jumpstart metabolism and keep us burning calories long after the workout is over.

4. Don’t Skip Breakfast.  It has been shown, over and over again how important it is to start the day with a healthy meal. Having breakfast quick-starts the metabolism. If you are not hungry, snack on some fruit, and then have a bowl of muesli or some eggs later on in the morning when you start feeling hungry.

5. Weight Lifting. Lifting weights can also help speed your resting metabolic rate, making those dumbbells our new best friends.

6. Drink Plenty of Water. Drinking enough water is a simple way to speed up digestion and burn calories.

7. Spice Things Up. Adding ginger, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper to your meals will give them a fiery kick but also help boost your metabolism.

8. Bicycle Workout.  45 minutes worth of cycling was found to speed up metabolic rate for over 12 hours. So hop on that bike, it’s worth it !

9. Add in Fat Burning Foods. Certain foods like tuna, eggs, grapefruit, celery, lean chicken, oats, brown rice and chilli peppers spike the metabolism, trigger hormones that release fat, and eliminate toxins that make it hard for your body to shed unwanted pounds.

10. Coffee.  All you coffee drinkers will be thrilled reading this part. A cup of coffee or more so the caffeine in it, speeds up the heart rate and provides a metabolic boost that peaks three hours after drinking it. Just make sure to have organic coffee as this plant is one of the most herbicide and pesticide sprayed plants on the market.

11. Laugh, Laugh and Laugh!  Just 10 minutes of laughter a day can burn energy. So keep smiling and laughing!

Do you struggle with a slow metabolism or bloating? Share with us your tricks for getting rid of it in the comments below…