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Increase Metabolism for Fat Loss

If your goal is to increase your metabolism, you must increase your body's need for energy. Eating foods that require extra energy to digest and metabolize is highly effective. It is also important to exercise and weight train, which stimulates the metabolism's "after burn" effect.

  1. Exercise

    • Aim for 45 minutes of exercise, 5 days a week to keep your metabolism at an elevated level. Two methods work best. Interval training is exercising hard in short bursts. In a 45-minute workout, exercise at a brisk pace for 10 minutes, followed by 5 minutes of increased intensity. Repeat this three times to speed your metabolism. The second method is to exercise in 10-minute intervals four to five times per day to increase your metabolism throughout the day.

    Weight Train

    • Muscles burn more calories than fat. Weight training every other day helps you to build lean muscle, which is one of the best ways to increase metabolism. When you add muscle to your body your metabolism works faster, resulting in quicker fat loss.

    Eat Right

    • Lean protein, fiber, whole fruits and raw vegetables are the most effective foods to use your body's energy. When your body works hard to break down food, your metabolism stays elevated. Also, choose a "cheat day" each week and eat more calories than you do the rest of the week. This method "tricks" your metabolism into working at a higher rate instead of adjusting to a set calorie level.

    Eat Often

    • When you eat, your body digests the food and this process uses calories. Eating smaller healthy meals and snacks every four hours raises your metabolism. An additional benefit of eating often is that you will feel fuller and not overeat at any one meal.

    Ice Water

    • Drinking eight to ten glasses of water per day has many health benefits. You feel fuller when you drink water throughout the day and will not overeat. Drinking ice water is effective in burning more energy because your metabolism works harder to warm your body when consuming iced beverages.

    Mornings

    • There are two simple lifestyle habits that will kick start your metabolism. Eat a healthy meal with lean protein and fiber in the morning. This will prevent you from eating more later in the day and get your metabolism working to break down the food you consume. There are also benefits to exercising in the morning. Exercising at a brisk pace for as little as 10 minutes puts your metabolism into high gear, and the "after burn" effect of a vigorous workout keeps your metabolism elevated for hours afterward.

    Lifestyle

    • Aim for seven hours of sleep per night, move more and reduce stress. These three habits have a great affect on metabolism, and they go hand in hand. Lack of sleep and stress can lead to a sluggish metabolism. Staying healthy and active keeps your metabolism revved up.

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