How to increase body metabolism?

How to increase body metabolism to loose weight and be able to eat more is the actual question haha! With metabolism I mean metabolic rate, the number of calories a body burns. A high metabolic rate means that we can easier lose weight and keep it off. A higher metabolism gives energy, body heat and you just feel better.

I come across many women who over years have decreased their metabolism by dieting and living in a constant state of calorie restriction and still not be able to loose excess weight.  For sure dieting can work for a while, the problem is that our bodies adapt to the lower amount we give it and then just does the best it can with less. We keep lowering our food intake and try to squeeze out extra calories by doing cardio. Losing weight through a lower calorie intake is possible without messing up your metabolism if you are getting your daily required nutrients from whole foods.

I have been on a low calorie road for most of my life until I went plant based and started to build up my food intake again. Now I am able to eat as much as I want/need without calculating and weighing stuff. Such freedom. This doesn’t mean I eat huge amounts, it means I don’t think about it. We all have different needs calorie wise depending on age, size and activity level. If you think you are eating less then before and not losing the weight or you want to keep your strength and shape while getting “older” you could give muscle mass building a go.

There are ways to increase our metabolic rate. For me, the most important part of a good working metabolism are muscles. I will also list the other ways to increase metabolism but those are not constant like the benefits of muscle mass. Working out with weights burns a bit less calories per session than cardio but the muscle you are building requires more calories from your body, even at rest.

For women the word “muscles” can be daunting, I know it was for me until I learned how much you actually need to work out, how heavy you have to lift, how much dedication it takes and how much food and protein you have to eat to grow the bulky huge muscles most women don’t want. That just doesn’t happen from the amount of weight training I am talking about. What does happen is that you start to replace fat with muscle. You will probably gain some weight but you will look leaner and be more toned, this can take ages off ones appearance. Aging also means muscle loss, the structure of the body seems to change. It gets softer, even slimmer but not in a good way. There are huge benefits of weight lifting for women, especially over a “certain” age.

• you lose body fat and change the composition of your body
• shape your body, add more shoulders, cleavage, arms or butt, you are in charge
• you gain strength, you wont bulk up, trust me
• you decreases risk of Osteoporosis, working out with weights builds bone density
• and reduces risk of injury like lower back
• you burn more calories even when not working out which means you lose weight more easily and you can eat more freely
• a muscular toned body keeps you looking and moving younger
• working out is great for the mind too. happy hormones are being activated

Eating more smaller meals throughout the day is sometimes also advised, also not skipping breakfast. I always skip breakfast and start to eat around noon to give my body a daily break from digestion.

I have been doing this for two years now and I love it, lots of energy,especially in the morning. While intermittent fasting I don’t get less calories but I get them in a smaller window during the day, let’s say between 12AM and 7PM. Because there are enough calories coming in the body doesn’t go into a slower mode. Also I do my workout at the end of the morning and that also kick starts my metabolism.

Some great oils for this purpose are Peppermint, Ginger, Bergamot, Cinnamon and Lemon.

Some other, short term metabolism boosters are,

• eating adequate amounts of healthy, for me plant based, protein
• drinking cold water can increase the resting metabolism by 10 – 30% for about an hour
• high intensity interval training HITT increases metabolic rate for a few hours after a workout
• stand more instead of sitting
• drink green tea or coffee
• eat spicy foods if your stomach is up for it
• a good nights sleep has great effect on metabolism, so get those hours in

You can incorporate these small changes into your daily lifestyle but for me, the most important part is building and keeping muscle mass. Also all the metabolism boosters can only have a positive influence if they are combined with a healthy lifestyle meaning a whole foods diet, plenty of fiber, no refined carbs or processed food, daily movement and plenty of water. I also found that as long as someone is eating animal products and processed foods they will for always have to be watching portion sizes.

A whole foods plant based diet is the solution for being free of calorie counting and not feeling deprived. I will be focusing more on the subject of weight, slowing down the aging process and intuitive eating. If you have any questions or a topic you would like me to write about put it in the comments box below!

Read HERE about the difference between calorie counting and intuitive eating. Which works for you?

Tina x

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