How to Increase Your Metabolism Easily, Naturally, and Safely

Many of us lament having a slow metabolism, whether it be a result of aging, a medication side effect, or a roadblock to exercise and diet goals. There is hope, however; making a few simple lifestyle and diet adjustments can help you increase your metabolism in a manner that is easy, natural, and safe.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Low-glycemic foods help keep your metabolism going. Focus on low-glycemic foods. Reducing the amount of high-glycemic foods you consume and increasing the amount of low-glycemic foods is an easy, safe, and natural way to speed up your metabolism. Low-glycemic foods keep your blood sugar and insulin levels steady, unlike high-glycemic foods, which cause your blood sugar and insulin levels to spike. Too much insulin causes your cholesterol level to rise, which in turn disturbs the metabolic rate. Many books and websites (such as www.glycemicindex.com's GI database), list the glycemic levels of a variety of foods.
2. Make sure you are consuming enough calories. Eat enough calories. One of the most common causes of a slow metabolism is not consuming enough calories, especially if you diet and exercise a lot. Eating too few calories causes the body to go into "starvation mode." Our bodies are smart and are designed to protect us in times of famine, so metabolism slows down when there is a long-term reduction in calorie intake. To avoid this, use a daily calorie requirement caluculator (such as www.caloriesperhour), to calculate the number of calories you need for basic bodily functions, then take into account the additional calories you need if you engage in regular exercise. If you decide to consumer fewer calories than you need, be sure to do so moderately.
3. Don't go too long without a meal or snack. Eat every 3-5 hours. Your body is a furnace that needs constant fueling. Keep the fire, your metabolism, burning by planning your snacks and meals so that you are eating frequently throughout the day, before you reach the point of being very hungry.
4. Smaller portions boost your metabolic rate. Consume smaller portions. As with eating frequently, consuming smaller portions at a given time helps your metabolism going. Each time you eat your body engages your digestive system, which helps elevate your rate of metabolism throughout the day.
5. Including protein in each snack and meal will help your metabolism. Include lean protein with every meal and snack. Protein helps the body build muscle, gives the brain the signal to stop eating, and helps increase your metabolic rate because of the amount of calories the body uses to digest it. Protein will also help by keeping your blood sugar level steady. You don't need a lot of protein at a time; for meals eat about 3 ounces of lean protein, for snacks eat about 1 ounce.
6. Strength training increases metabolism. Engage in strength training several times each week. By now most of us have heard that building muscle is essential in boosting metabolism (muscle burns substantially more calories than fat), but we often focus more on aerobic activity to do this. You don't have to become a body builder to increase your metabolism - you can engage in strengthening exercises that use only your body weight, and you can use moderately heavy weights to see results. For an added stress-reduction bonus, use yoga or breathing-focused pilates for your strength training.

Tips & Warnings

• Be sure to give your muscles a day of rest between strength training sessions.
• If you are new to strength training, start slowly and gradually increase the amount of weight you use, the repetitions you perform, or the difficulty level of yoga/pilates you engage in.
• If you have special dietary needs, speak with your health care provider about adjusting the glycemic load of your current diet.