What is metabolism? Metabolism is a set of complex functions going inside the body to generate the energy to maintain, grow and carry on essential functions of all the organs of the body to sustain the life. Human body is made to walk, run or keep on moving. However, thanks to new world where day by day the new inventions or technologies are making us slow and inefficient.
We hardly move or do physical work, we eat non-nutritious food, we don’t sleep right and this all causes the slowing of the metabolism. This opens the gate for weight gain, metabolic disease like diabetes, cardiovascular problems etc. Some of us are genetically gifted with fast metabolism but for those struggling with the slow one here are some ways to speed it up:
1.Regular physical activity: Regular physical activity increases our overall need of energy for our body. Hence, keeping active often alone increases the metabolism of our body.
2.Strength training or weight training: A 30 minutes session of strength training can keep your metabolism up for next 48 to 72 hrs as found by American College of Sports Medicine. A couple of planned sessions in a week increases our skeletal mass which helps keep our metabolism fast.
3.Eat your macros in right order: Keeping your diet with a good combination of carbs, proteins and fats gives your body a sustained release of energy which enhances the metabolism to keep the food burning inside the body.
4.Eat a variety of green leafy and colourful vegetables: Vitamins and minerals help us to maintain a healthy metabolism. Eating dark green leafy vegetables and colourful fruits gives us ample amount of vitamin B complex which is essential for a speedy metabolism.
5.HIIT or interval training: I often say any exercise done in comfort zone is not an exercise. Doing some high intensity workout like sprint followed by a jog or some burpees, etc can create boost in your metabolism as it increases EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption).
6.Get enough omega3’s: Simply increasing the intake of omega 3 in our diet helps our metabolism to kick up as it is one of the essential fatty acid which help us to maintain our blood sugar as well as help our body to reduce inflammations. A diet rich of salmon, eggs or eating walnuts or flaxseeds helps us to get good omega3 fatty acid. Supplement of omega3 is also a good way to get the adequate amount.
7.Avoid YO-YO diets: Deciding to cut down substantial amounts of food can result in short term weight loss but it affects your overall metabolism. Your body needs food in order to sustain some basic functions of life. Look at your lifestyle: are you sedentary, active or very active? Get a consultation from a professional in order to increase physical activity or reduce your overall calories. “To break it take seconds but to make it take years.” Overall your mantra should be to eat clean and your body will give you back energy and a disease free happy life.