How to Speed Up Metabolism in Men

Metabolic rate, or the rate at which your body burns calories, slows down by 5% each year, but there are steps that can counteract that slow down. Of course, each individual is different, so metabolic rates vary. We all know that lucky guy who can eat anything and stay thin, but most men experience the opposite as time passes and see the pounds add up on with each calorie. Here is a way to increast your metabolism rate.

Things You'll Need

• Foods high in protein and whole grains
• Water
• Green tea
• Exercise equipment

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Instructions

How to Speed Up Metabolism in Men

• 1

  Eat frequent, small meals. When you eat 5 to 6 small meals per day (300 to 500 calories), you are less likely to find yourself ravenously hungry and gorging on whatever is available. Diets that encourage eating significantly less food in only 3 meals per day may produce weight loss results at first, but as "hubpages" indicates, when you eat less, your body goes into starvation mode and hoards calories, causing your metabolism to slow down significantly. When you eat frequently, your body isn't concerned about waiting for the next influx of calories, so it burns what it is given.

• 2

  Build muscle by strength or resistance training. According to the website "weightlossforall" and other sources, muscle requires more calories for fuel than fat. So the more muscle mass you have the more calories you'll burn throughout the day regardless of whether you are working out or hanging out. Try to fit in 30 to 45 minutes of intense strength training 3 to 5 days per week to encourage muscle growth.

• 3

  Drink plenty of water. Your body needs to be well hydrated to function properly. Your liver is responsible for breaking down and eliminating fat or storing it in the body, and the amount of water you drink often determines what your liver does with fat. When the kidneys aren't hydrated, they cannot function as well, so the liver has to step in and help out. When this happens, fat is stored rather than eliminated. Drink enough water so that your urine is nearly clear throughout the day.

• 4

  Drink 4 to 6 cups of green tea per day. A study published at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov has found that drinking green tea can increase fat oxidation in humans by as much as 17%, most likely due to its ideal mixture of catechins, antioxidants, and caffeine. Six cups may seem like a lot, but green tea extract supplements have shown similar results as well.

• 5

  Increase your activity levels, especially the amount of time you spend doing cardio. Exercise of any type will temporarily increase your metabolic rate, since you are burning calories at a high rate. Cardio exercises like running, jumping rope or bicycling tend to burn more calories per minute than other types of exercise, so try to fit in 20 to 40 minutes of cardio 3 to 4 times a week. The boost in metabolic rate isn't temporary because your body will continue to burn calories after your workout as it repairs and replenishes your body with the nutrients expended.