9 Top Tips for Maximising your Metabolism
February 15, 2009 by Tom
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In my last three articles I revisited the topic of boosting your metabolism discussing the effect that both food and exercise can have. I explained that metabolism generally refers to the number of calories your body burns in a day. It is influenced by three main things:
- Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) (the number of calories you burn performing the basic functions that keep you alive).
- Your level of Physical Activity.
- The Thermic Effect of Foods that you Eat (the number of calories it takes to digest and absorb the foods you eat).
Today I would like to bring all this information together and give you nine top tips for maximising your metabolism.
1) EAT HIGH FIBRE CARBOHYDRATES:- High fibre carbohydrates are harder to digest than simple carbohydrates and therefore have a greater thermic effect. On top of this foods that are high in fibre are generally lower in calories (because fibre itself contains zero calories), help suppress your appetite and provide you with many more fantastic benefits. High fibre foods include fruits, vegetables and wholemeal products so where possible make sure your dietary carbohydrates come from these sources. Not only will they help you burn slightly more calories but they will also make it easier for you to lose weight. However, you need to make sure that you do not go overboard on the fibre. Excessive fibre consumption has been linked with wind, diarrhea, constipation and more.
2) EAT VITAMIN RICH FOODS:- Your body relies on vitamins and minerals to perform a number of essential functions. If you become deficient in any of the thirteen vitamins you may not be able to perform some of these functions properly which can have a negative impact on your BMR. There are lots of vitamin rich foods including fruits, vegetables, eggs, liver and nuts. To maximise your metabolism you need to make sure you are getting the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for all your vitamins from the foods you eat. It will keep your BMR at its optimal level and also promote good overall health. However, like with fibre you need to make sure you don’t overdose. Getting too many vitamins has a number of adverse effects including cell and organ damage.
3) DRINK LOTS OF WATER:- If your body is not properly hydrated it may not be able to perform certain vital functions. This can lead to a reduction in your BMR. Therefore, you need to make sure you are drinking enough water to maximise your metabolism. I find that keeping a water bottle at your desk and topping it up regularly plus making an effort to drink extra water whilst exercising helps me stay hydrated throughout the day.
4) MAKE SURE YOU ARE GETTING ENOUGH PROTEIN:- Most people’s diets are rich in fats and carbohydrates but contain very little protein. However, protein is a very important macronutrient that is essential for the growth and repair of your body’s cells. It also has a greater thermic effect than fats and carbohydrates with research suggesting that 25% of the calories in protein are burned during digestion and absorption. Therefore, you can give your metabolism a boost by making protein a richer part of your diet. However, you need to make sure that you are not consuming too much. Overdosing on protein can place stress on a number of vital organs including your kidneys.
5) ADD SOME SPICE TO YOUR DIET:- Spicy foods can temporarily increase your BMR. For starters they increase your body’s temperature for a short period after consumption meaning that you will burn more calories as your body attempts to regulate this temperature. Secondly, spices such as cayenne are thought to have thermogenic properties meaning that they temporarily increase the rate at which your body burns fat. Like with the other foods mentioned in this article you need to exercise moderation when it comes to spicy foods. Getting too much can lead to unpleasant side effects such as heartburn, stomach ulcers and an irritable bowel.
6) CUT BACK ON THE ALCOHOL:- Alcohol has a dehydrating effect and can therefore reduce your BMR. Many alcoholic beverages are also full of simple carbohydrates meaning that they have a reduced thermic effect when compared with high fibre carbohydrates and protein rich foods. On top of this excessive alcohol consumption can cause vitamin deficiencies which further slow down your BMR. You don’t need to eliminate alcohol from your diet completely but if you drink regularly perhaps you should consider cutting down.
7) REDUCE YOUR CAFFEINE CONSUMPTION:- Like alcohol, caffeine has a dehydrating effect and can lower your BMR. Drinking a couple of cups of coffee each day is unlikely to have any adverse effects on your metabolism but if you are getting all your fluids from caffeinated beverages you might want to think about substituting in some water.
START A CARDIOVASCULAR EXERCISE ROUTINE:- Your metabolism is partially affected by your level of physical activity. Regular cardiovascular exercise helps in two ways. First, you burn additional calories whilst performing the cardio. Secondly, the number of calories you burn following a cardiovascular workout remains elevated for a few hours after you finish. By going for a walk, jog, run, bike ride, swim (or whatever other cardiovascular exercise takes your fancy) a few times a week you can burn extra calories and boost your metabolism.
9) START A RESISTANCE TRAINING ROUTINE:- A pound of muscle burns around 6 calories per day whilst a pound of fat burns around 2 calories per day. Therefore, by increasing your lean muscle mass you can raise your BMR. If you perform a resistance training workout a few times per week and combine it with proper nutrition you can build additional muscle and increase the amount of calories you burn whilst resting.
As you can see from this article it is possible to boost your metabolism through a combination of smart food choices and a well structured exercise routine. However, you need to remember that metabolism is not the key to successful weight loss. Whilst you can increase the number of calories you burn on a daily basis by following the above tips there is a limit to their effect. Maximising your metabolism will not compensate for eating too much food BUT if you learn to control the amount you eat and follow the above advice metabolism can be a powerful tool in your weight loss arsenal. I highly recommend that you try and implement the above tips in to your lifestyle because they will give your metabolism a boost, help you burn more calories and more importantly they will improve your overall health.
Now I want to hear from you guys. What’s your opinion on metabolism? Do you think it’s an essential part of weight loss or do you think it’s over hyped? Leave me a comment and let me know.
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ABSOLUTELY! Metabolism is essential for weight loss. It is however the most variable portion of the weight loss equation.
For instance there is much research and debate over aerobic vs. anaerobic exercise for maximum metabolism.
I for one am becoming a believer in the anaerobic support due to my own personal findings and accomplishments.
This is a subject that will never truely have a right or wrong answer, simply a personal answer.
Thanks for the info!
Some really great tips.
It’s really about combining an effective workout routine with a healthy diet. Make sure you are not eliminating the essential elements your body needs, like protein and carbs completely from your diet. It’s alright to have these items, just make you monitor your portion control.
Timothy
Hey Strong One – I agree. Like many things related to health and fitness no one is ever going to agree on which type of exercise is better for boosting your metabolism. However, they both have their benefits so I would advise everyone to do some cardio and some resistance training on a regular basis.
Hi Tim – Thanks for your comments. However, I’m not advocating eliminating protein or carbs. Tip 1 is to eat high fibre carbohydrates whilst tip 4 is to make sure that you are getting enough protein.
Mixing it up on the exercise works for me…keep the burn on! As far as the food I agree…great tips!
Hey Mark. Thanks for the comments. Gotta agree you can’t beat a good cardio and resistance training combo.
i think you can go into great depth about exactly the best ways to raise and maintain metabolism, but you can almost become confused by too much detail! keep training your heart and build a good base of muscle and you’ve pretty much got it sorted!
Totally agree. As I say in the article “metabolism is not the key to successful weight loss”. However, I wanted to go into detail to clarify exactly how metabolism affects the calories burned on a daily basis.
You have some really good tips, but one thing I am interested in is how the raising of your metabolism effects your appetite and hunger. Any ideas?
Hey Paul – Thanks for your comments. Interesting point. I’ve never considered the effect it has on your appeite. However, based on what I have read I think appetite is mainly linked to what you eat. Eating foods that cause your blood glucose levels to increase rapidly generally make you feel hungry. Eating foods that have less of an impact on your blood glucose levels generally help you control your apetite better. These are just my initial thoughts so don’t take them as fact. I’ll probably have to do some more research into this topic and write my findings up as a blog post.
Tom, good list.
People always confuse #7 up because of all the media attention green teas and co. receive. Water is definitely a better alternative.
Mike
Very true Mike. I’m not completely against caffeine. I drink 1-2 cups of coffee per day and a few cups of green tea. However, if caffeinated beverages are your only source of hydration it might be time to re-evaluate your fluid consumption and drink more water.
Tom,
This is a great article with good details. I do believe metabolism is essential to reaching fitness goals. Feeding the body with the right foods at the right time is important as is drinking lots of water to keep the organs working for you not against. Thanks for the tips.
Hi Tom,
All the points are absolutely fantastic. i think having a high metabolism increases your blood circulation which keep the all the organ to act 100% and enough strength for your daily activities, which ultimately burns the extra calories that leads to weight loss in short time.
Very thorough job!
Congratulations!
Ccris
Great post Tom,
I have found that training with kettlebells can cross the bridge between aerobic and anerobic training.
My Metabolic Rate workouts consist of two or 3 kettlebell exercises performed for set periods of time, for instance kettlebell swings for 10 sets of 45 seconds with 15 seconds rest between each. The swings are performed explosively and the high work rate/rest ratio can really get your metabolism revved up.
Thanks for the comment. Not tried kettelbells yet but they certainly look like a fantastic cross over exercise.