10 Ways to Boost Your Metabolism

Can You Make Your Metabolism Better?

Boosting metabolism is the holy grail of weight watchers everywhere, but how fast your body burns calories depends on several things. Some people inherit a speedy metabolism. Men tend to burn more calories than women, even while resting. And for most people, metabolism slows steadily after age 40. Although you can't control your age, gender, or genetics, there are other ways to improve your metabolism. Here are 10 of them.

Build Muscle

Your body constantly burns calories, even when you're doing nothing. This resting metabolic rate is much higher in people with more muscle. Every pound of muscle uses about 6 calories a day just to sustain itself, while each pound of fat burns only 2 calories daily. That small difference can add up over time. After a session of strength training, muscles are activated all over your body, raising your average daily metabolic rate.

Step Up Your Workout

Aerobic exercise may not build big muscles, but it can rev up your metabolism in the hours after a workout. The key is to push yourself. High-intensity exercise delivers a bigger, longer rise in resting metabolic rate than low- or moderate-intensity workouts. To get the benefits, try a more intense class at the gym or include short bursts of jogging during your regular walk.

Fuel Up With Water

Your body needs water to process calories. If you are even mildly dehydrated, your metabolism may slow down. In one study, adults who drank eight or more glasses of water a day burned more calories than those who drank four. To stay hydrated, drink a glass of water or other unsweetened beverage before every meal and snack. Also, snack on fresh fruits and vegetables, which naturally contain water, rather than pretzels or chips.

Should You Try Energy Drinks?

Some ingredients in energy drinks can give your metabolism a boost. They're full of caffeine, which increases the amount of energy your body uses. They sometimes have taurine, an amino acid. Taurine can speed up your metabolism and may help burn fat. But using these drinks can cause problems like high blood pressure, anxiety, and sleep issues for some people. The American Academy of Pediatrics doesn’t recommend them for kids and teens.


Read More : www.webmd.com/diet/ss/slideshow-boost-your-metabolism#

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Mindful Eating

You Can Lose Weight and Keep It Off With ‘Mindful Eating’

The best thing about “mindful eating” is that you are not chained to impossible diet rules or bland menus, says Susan Albers, PsyD. She says mindful eating is being mindful is about balancing how you eat with what you eat.

“We have lots of mindless eating habits that lead to weight gain, such as mindlessly popping chips in your mouth while watching TV or eating when you aren’t really hungry.”

Two favorite foods to practice mindful eating
 Choosing these two foods if you find yourself needing a snack: Mandarin oranges and pistachios.

Mandarins are easier to peel than regular oranges and are less than 100 calories. They also provide a perfect meditative moment, since you can slowly peel the fruit and eat it segment by segment.

Pistachios, which have the lowest calorie and fat content among nuts, help you regulate your blood sugar when you are under stress because they have fiber and protein, Dr. Albers says. Having to open the shells helps you slow down and the shells are a visual reminder of how many you’ve eaten.

According to Dr. Albers, a study on what is known as the “pistachio effect” found that participants ate on average 86 fewer calories and felt just as satisfied when they were given pistachios they had to shell themselves versus those that were already shelled for them.

Other tips for mindful eating

Choosing these tips to help you practice mindful eating:

    Eat with your non-dominant hand. Switching your fork into your other hand jolts you out of autopilot. You can do it, but it takes more of your attention and concentration.
    Swivel away from your desk when you snack at work. This will prevent you from being tempted to answer your phone or type on the computer. When you eat, just eat.
    Use red plates or red cues like red napkins to help you slow down. When you see red, your mind automatically slows you down.
    Use a Bento box. It helps to keep your portion sizes consistent and also trains and rewires your stomach to be satisfied with a smaller amount of food.
    Practice “hunger checks.” Whenever your phone rings, ask yourself how hungry you are on a scale from 1-10.
    Intentionally eat “off the clock” as an experiment. Too often we eat at scheduled meal times instead of when we are actually hungry. Take a day or two to learn about your natural hunger periods.
    Practice mindfully eating foods you love in times of calm, not stress. In other words, practice eating chocolate mindfully on a good day, not when you are under stress.
    Add spinach to a morning snack. A recent study showed that this food helps you reduce how much you eat through the entire day because it contains nutrients that keep you feeling fuller.
    Keep reminders of what you’ve eaten. Research shows that we tend to have very poor memories of what we’ve eaten, so save the wrapper from your granola bar on your desk or snap a photo.

Source : http://health.clevelandclinic.org/2015/05/you-can-lose-weight-and-keep-it-off-with-mindful-eating/

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