How to Control Metabolism

The human metabolism is a complex series of actions and reactions. There's no one way to ensure constant control. You can use a few simple ways to boost metabolic rate and maintain a healthy life-long understanding of how metabolism works.

Instructions

• 1

  Eat regularly and in moderation. Your metabolism functions best when you don't overload the body with large amounts of food or leave the body without food for extended periods of time. The metabolism will constantly work at a healthy rate if you eat five or six small meals throughout the day, beginning as soon as you wake up. Skipping breakfast, rather than being an effective diet tool, actually causes weight gain.

• 2

  Exercise regularly and maintain muscle mass. Plan to exercise before eating a meal rather than immediately afterwards. Exercise before a meal will burn calories from fat stores, but exercise after a meal will burn calories from the food that was just eaten. Exercise that builds muscle mass has the additional benefit of creating more calorie-burning material for your body, even while at rest.

• 3

  Choose foods that burn and boost. Spicy foods, like Mexican or Indian dishes, get your metabolism working faster, and caffeine can jump start your metabolism as well as your day. Sugar, on the other hand, triggers fat storage and should be avoided.

• 4

  Stay hydrated. A healthy metabolism is just one of the many things that your body can only maintain with a good supply of fluids. Water will help cleanse toxins, and cold water requires extra metabolic effort to heat inside the body.

• 5

  Sleep well and relax. While sleep may not be directly tied to metabolism, it makes sense that your body will function better when it has time to recuperate daily. Stress, on the other hand, is directly linked to fat storage, specifically on the belly. When you are especially stressed, the body will store extra fat in the belly as a fight-or-flight response because it is the easiest fat for the body to access if it needs energy later.