5 Ways
To Boost Your
Metabolism
Naturally
@gracekingswell
Speeding up your metabolism is hailed as the number one way to induce fat loss, but if your goal is weight loss then I have some news for you: It’s actually really hard to speed up your metabolism. Firstly, don’t get caught up in thinking that there are certain miracle foods and powders that are going to kick your metabolism into overdrive and magically make you lose weight. Hopefully there’s been enough “Detox Tea” shaming going around to make you realise that buying some expertly marketed tea isn’t the answer and that all it’s going to do is, most likely, upset your digestion. Ideally, what you want is for your body to burn fat for fuel and tap into its stored fat reserves in order to do this.
Firstly, let’s look at what the metabolism actually is because it’s not as simple as you might think. The three main purposes of the metabolism are the conversion of fuel (i.e. food that we’ve consumed), into energy carried out by a cellular processes culminating in the production of ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate, a.k.a energy). The second is the conversion of this same fuel into the building blocks for proteins, lipids (fats) and nucleic acids and the third is driven towards eliminating waste.
So, you can see that if your metabolism isn’t functioning properly then you will likely feel sluggish, tired and unable to shift any weight. Of course, certain factors like our age, our genetics, gender and body size all play a part in how our metabolism works and these factors are largely out of our control. However, there are some things which are scientifically proven to speed up the process, and I’ll get into those below.
Firstly, as an important side note it’s imperative to remember that our metabolism isn’t solely responsible for our weight loss and that important factors like the types of gut bacteria that we have play a vital role in how our bodies put on and lose weight. You might be doing everything right and not seeing any results and the answer could be in treating your gut. However, beyond weight loss there are significant benefits to even tiny adjustments to a person’s metabolic function - so it is always worth taking it into account:
The Presscription Weight Loss Cleanse (as seen above) is a great kick-start to your weight loss journey. With an 80-20 vegetables to fruit ratio (if fruit is present), the weight loss cleanse is a good way to curb cravings and get you into more of a fasted state by significantly reducing your calorie intake, whilst flooding your body with nutrients. So expect glowing skin, improved sleep patterns, and even increased energy on top of helping to shift those last few stubborn pounds.
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5 ways to increase your metabolism
Weight training
Muscle cells need a lot more energy than fat cells so if you can increase your body’s muscle mass in exchange for fat mass then even at a resting level, i.e. when you’re not exercising, your body will be burning more. As women, it can be harder to lose weight as we naturally have more body fat than men, and before you start thinking how unfair that is it's actually fundamental to us being able to have children and carry a pregnancy...so hold that thought!
Fasting
Periods of intermittent fasting can be very beneficial for weight loss especially if you can fast for long enough for your body to get into a burning fat for fuel zone, which typically happens after the postabsorptive state which comes into effect about 10 hours after you’ve eaten a meal. Studies have shown that short term fasting (eg a 16 hour fast which starts at 8pm after your evening meal and lasts until midday the next day), can increase your metabolic rate by 3.6-24 %, thus helping you to burn more calories.
Cold Therapy
You might have seen crazy people sitting in ice baths on Instagram recently, or if you haven’t, you probably will soon. The benefits of cold therapy are legion: It improves circulation, reduces inflammation, makes you feel euphoric (amazing for boosting mood and alleviating anxiety). By exposing your body to cold temperatures, even just starting with a cold shower, it can be amazingly beneficial as you force your body to warm itself up which increases cellular metabolism in the process and ultimately burns more calories.
Get good sleep
Sleep deprivation can cause severe changes in our metabolic pathways. Shift workers have been observed to be at more risk of cardio-metabolic disease which is due to the fact that they are active and feeding during a time that the body expects to be inactive and fasting. Poor quality sleep, staying up late and not sleeping and waking at the same time each day (i.e messing up your circadian rhythm), has the ability to mimic these shift worker effects and decrease your metabolic efficiency.
Hydrate
Studies have shown that an hour after drinking water energy expenditure is increased by 30% in both men and women. Essentially, increasing the amount of water you drink can increase your metabolism too. This is such a quick win, especially as there are so many other health benefits that come from staying properly hydrated.
The important thing to remember is that if you introduce any or all of the above points, but continue to eat badly and overdo the processed foods, then no amount of cold showers or ice baths is going to make up for the poor diet. Cooking all of your meals yourself is such an easy way to stay on top of what you’re putting into your body, and ultimately the food is likely to be more nutrient dense, higher in fibre and lower in sugar too - which can only be a good thing.
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"Very yum, enough to get you through the day, keeps your energy level up! You feel thinner & amazing after it! "
- Deborah, Weight Loss Cleanse
