Metabolism is just term that refers to how fast or how slow your body processes food and turns it into an energy source. The faster your metabolism, the fewer calories your body will have time to store and turn into fat storages in your body. So increasing your metabolism is one of the key ways to losing weight, but how can you naturally get your metabolism to speed up? There are actually quite a few ways that you can naturally increase your metabolism, some of which we’ll talk about below.
Blood Acidity and pH levels
The acidity and pH balance of your blood is directly connected to the speed of your metabolism. Ideally, you would normally want to have a pH of about 7.35, but how does someone know what their level is? Simple. A blood test. If you’re lucky, your insurance may cover the test. If not and you’re serious about losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight then it’s worth the investment to pay for the test if your insurance refuses to cover it.
Get Big Meals Out of the Way Earlier
At the start of the day, your body’s metabolism is naturally faster than later in the day. As the day progresses, your metabolism will continue to slow down until you hit the sack. Unfortunately, the eating patterns of most people are opposite of the ideal pattern for losing weight. You eat smaller meals for breakfast and probably have your biggest meal at dinnertime. To lose weight you’ll want to change this. Eat larger meals earlier in the day while your metabolism is up so it’s processed and burned off quicker. In the evening when your metabolism is slower, you should be eating smaller and lighter meals.
Low Glycemic Index Foods
The glycemic index isn’t just for diabetics. It’s simply a measure of how much of a blood sugar spike your bloodstream will experience when you eat certain foods. The higher the score a food has, the bigger the spike i.e. you want to limit your intake of these foods if you want to lose weight. If you eat a diet that’s primarily made up of low glycemic foods, your metabolism will be steadier.
Doing this doesn’t mean you’ll have to drastically change your diet, either. There are plenty of sources that will give you different lower-glycemic options that are similar to the higher-ones you may be used to eating. The change could be as small as eating red potatoes instead of regular potatoes or whole grains vs. traditional white rice.
Get Some Exercise
The easiest way to increase your metabolism is to simply get moving. If you wanna burn more energy and lose weight then exercise is vital. If you’re not active much of the time then your body doesn’t see the need to burn calories faster for energy and your metabolism will plummet.
If you can get in just 30 minutes a day five days a week, you’ll be on the right path. You can break it up into two fifteen minute blocks or all at once. It doesn’t really matter as long as you’re getting that time in. This one easy change (yes, it’s easy!) can give you a tremendous boost to your metabolism. Even if you’re just walking the dog, taking a quick swim or working in the garden… doesn’t matter. It all counts. Just get moving several times per day.