Wake-Up Your Metabolism

A healthy diet and phys­i­cal activ­i­ty are key to a high metab­o­lism and calo­rie burn­ing. Some­times, it’s just dif­fi­cult to do though. Here are a few every­day ideas to kick-start your metab­o­lism and burn extra calo­ries through­out the day.

Drink Up

Water is essen­tial for the human body to func­tion prop­er­ly. Drink­ing 8 – 12, 8oz glass­es of water each day can also help you stay alert and keep your metab­o­lism run­ning prop­er­ly. You can also heat up some green tea in the morn­ing or after­noon for an extra boost of alert­ness and fat-burn­ing excellence.

Eat Col­or­ful­ly

Incor­po­rate green avo­ca­do and cel­ery, pink grape­fruit and salmon, and tan whole grains into your diet. These foods can also sup­port metab­o­lism increase and they make deli­cious meals! Also, a good break­fast each morn­ing will start your day off right. Eat eggs, oat­meal, and fruit in the morn­ing to sup­port metab­o­lism and ener­gy levels.

Get Mov­ing

Lift­ing weights can help you lose a few extra pounds each year. A great way to max­i­mize results is to count to 3 slow­ly when you low­er weights back down onto their plat­form. Also try inter­val train­ing on a bike, ellip­ti­cal, or tread­mill. These tech­niques will all help boost metab­o­lism. Final­ly, remem­ber to take a healthy dose of iron. You can get iron through foods such as iron-for­ti­fied cere­als, beans, spinach and broccoli.

Nix the Alco­holic Drinks

Metab­o­liz­ing alco­hol can have a detri­men­tal effect on oth­er meta­bol­ic process­es in your body. Alco­hol con­tains emp­ty calo­ries and because it can­not be stored in the body it must be metab­o­lized right away. Not only does alco­hol con­tain zero nutri­ents, but it also can impair your body’s abil­i­ty to absorb the nec­es­sary nutri­ents and vit­a­mins from food. It’s okay to treat your­self every now and then, but try not to make a habit of con­sum­ing large amounts of alcohol.