Three ways to rev up your metabolism

Though many believe you can increase your resting metabolism, you should understand that it is, in fact, a function of non modifiable variables like age, gender, and height. However, making certain behavioral changes can definitely contribute toward burning a greater number of calories. And, most of the time, this is the goal of persons seeking ways to boost their metabolism. You will discover below three simple ways to increase your total energy expenditure.

Develop your strength!
We all know that muscle strengthening exercises help build muscle mass. But did you know that for mere “survival”, our muscle mass burns more calories per kilo than does adipose tissue (fat)? This extra energy expenditure can run to 50 more calories a day, depending on your muscle mass. Although this extra calorie expenditure appears quite low at first glance, it is far from negligible given that the gain in muscle mass allows you to spend more calories. This is because the stronger you are, the greater your capacity to sustain effort will be, hence you burn more calories. Furthermore, since muscle strengthening exercises induce micro tears in muscle fibres, your calorie expenditure remains elevated during the hours following your training session because the repair of these lesions requires energy. All these factors, along with the numerous benefits of strength training, should convince you to fit strength training exercises into your training program, at least three times a week.

Do intervals
According to the American College of Sports Medicine, there is a positive correlation between training intensity, heart rate, and the number of calories burned. Interval cardiovascular training, which is defined by alternating periods of high intensity exercises with moderate intensity exercises (called active recovery periods) lead to greater total energy expenditure. By changing training intensity, you make your muscles work harder. Since this type of training is very demanding physically, you should choose a time when you are well rested and make sure your recovery periods between training sessions are long enough. Two to three times a week is recommended.

Drink water!
Strange as it may seem, staying hydrated helps you burn calories more effectively! Water is, in fact, vital for metabolic function, including the fat breakdown process (lipolysis). In contrast, dehydration negatively affects your metabolism and slows it down. Hence, remembering to drink regularly throughout the day is very important, as is increasing hydration when you plan on training. Keep in mind that you should drink between 8 and 12 glasses of water a day on top of 250 ml for every 15 minutes of physical exercise.

Adopt these three simple ways and see how they increase your daily energy expenditure; they’ll help you reach a healthy weight while improving your level of fitness.

By Karine Larose

Three ways to rev up your metabolism is a post from Nautilus Plus. The Nautilus Plus blog aims to help people in their journey to fitness through articles on training, nutrition, motivation, exercise and healthy recipes.
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