How Do I Increase My Metabolism?

3 Simple Ways to Increase Your Metabolism

Increasing your metabolism is fairly simple. Think of it as stoking a fire and keeping that fire lit throughout the day. You don’t want to just throw on a pile of logs and forget about it. Strive for a slow, consistent burn with periodic bigger fires. As you know, as you get older, your metabolism will naturally decrease but that just means you need to work a little smarter.

So, let’s get to it!

1. Build muscle – Muscle burns up a lot more calories than fat! This doesn’t mean you need to join a gym and start throwing around heavy weights with the big boys. In fact, think of building muscle as getting lean not bulking up. The point is to use resistance. Get creative. You can use your own body weight by doing pushups, situps, some form of pullup. A trick I stumbled upon when traveling without a car was carrying equally weighted grocery bags in each arm and swinging them gently while walking back and forth from the store to the place I was staying. 15 minutes every few days will definitely fuel that furnace. I took this a step further and started using the grocery bags or other household items (frozen chicken or veggies, running shoes, lamps (that’s kinda fun and funny if someone catches you!) to do bicep curls, overhead presses for shoulders, squats and lunges. You get the idea. Carrying around children and doing house and yard work are also great!
2. Eat smaller portions and more often. You have to eat to lose weight. The key is in eating the right things and in the right portions. You’ve most likely heard this numerous times but are you putting it into practice? And how much of a portion is enough? Keep it simple and shoot for 5-6 meals/snacks a day and for portion, take your fist and use it as a guide for your protein and carbohydrates (try to stick to fruits and veggies here and avoid simple carbs). You also need a bit of healthy fat in this mix so use your thumb as a guide. This may not sound like much but you will be amazed that if you eat correctly, it will fill you up – and besides you get to eat again in a few hours!
3. Get up and Move! – Cardio, Walk, Bike, Run, Take the Stairs. Keep your body moving throughout the day. You will not only burn calories as you do so but your furnace will keep burning after your workout as well. If you sit at a desk or computer, make a point to get up and move around at least every hour. This can be as simple as standing up and doing a few sets of 25 jumping jacks.  Ok, I just tested it myself and wow! Feels great. Blood is flowing, I’m typing faster, and it took me less than 2 minutes. Fantastic.

Keep these simple tips in mind and in practice to increase your metabolism and you will not only notice a difference in your body but you will find you have more energy and a positive attitude and outlook and enjoy the process of getting fit for life!

Have fun & may you keep that fire burning!