Drinking ice-cold water, consistently eating throughout the day, and eating spicy food are among the best ways to speed up metabolic rates, according to experts.
Health and fitness experts from Blackwolf Workout have researched and revealed seven easy-to-action tips to help calorie-conscious Brits kick-start their metabolism.
The tips also myth bust inaccurate advice such as thinking that skipping meals will help weight loss. This is actually very unhealthy, reduces energy levels and will actually slow down your metabolism.
Instead, Blackwolf Workout recommends regular small meals spread evenly over the day, rather than a large breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Other ways to gain a faster metabolism include drinking more cold water, fidgeting, as well as getting the required amount of rest every night.
A spokesperson for Blackwolf said: “Your metabolism is the process of converting food and drinks we consume into all-important energy. This process breaks down nutrients from our food, builds and repairs our body, and allows normal functioning.
“But many Brits put down a poor metabolism as bad luck or genetics, when in fact there are many ways to improve your metabolism.
“Metabolic rate can actually aid health and fitness goals if it is sped up using some of our advice and tips.
“It can be as simple as replacing cooking fats with coconut oil or just throwing a chilli or two into your dinner. This will all aid and increase your metabolism.
“Do not neglect sleep or eating well, as arguably these are two of the most important elements of improving a metabolic rate.”
Here are the seven ways Blackwolf Workout advise to kick-start your metabolism:
1. Do not starve yourself
Cutting down on food intake and skipping important meals is not only incredibly unhealthy, but it’s also counterintuitive. Your metabolism will slow down so much that you’ll not only stop losing weight, but you’ll also lose the energy needed to exercise.
2. Drink very cold water
There are many studies highlighting the importance of drinking water. But some have shown that drinking just 500ml of water can increase your resting metabolism between 10-30% an hour! The effect may be even greater if the water consumed is really cold as your body will use energy to heat it up to body temperature.
3. Eat five small meals a day
By eating more frequently and every few hours, you keep your metabolism fired up and ensure it doesn’t slow down between meals in order to hang on to calories. A ‘meal’ can be as small as a cup of soup, some nuts, or a bowl of fruit.
4. Fidget
Sounds silly, but people who tap their fingers or bounce their knees could actually burn around 500 extra calories a day! That equates to around one pound a week. So fidget away and over time it will add up.
5. Eat spicy foods
Many spicy ingredients, such as peppers, contain capsaicin, a substance that can boost your metabolism. By itself, adding spices to your food may be unnoticeable, but when combined with other metabolism-boosting strategies, it could lead to a slight advantage.
6. Get a good night’s sleep
If you have a bad night’s sleep, it can elevate your cortisol levels, which is a stress hormone that makes you hungrier and is known to slow down your metabolism. It also decreases your leptin levels, the satiety hormone, which can tell your brain to eat more calories than you actually need.
7. Replace cooking fats with coconut oil
Coconut oil is relatively high in medium-chain fats, which can increase your metabolism more than the long-chain fats found in foods like butter. Due to the unique fatty acid profile of coconut oil, replacing some of your other cooking fats with it helps with weight loss.