5 Ways You Can Help Boost Your Metabolism Naturally

By olivia rose | August 19, 2019

Whether you are trying to lose weight, or simply want to improve your overall health, a healthy metabolism can help you become a healthier and happier person.

In this article, we will explore the benefits of maintaining a healthy metabolism. We will also provide you with 5 ways, in which you can help boost your metabolism naturally.

How Your Metabolism Works For You

Metabolism is a term that describes the efficiency of your body’s ability to break down molecules in order to obtain energy. We commonly judge our metabolism by how well our bodies can break down fats and how fast we lose weight. However, there is a bit more to it than just weight-loss.

During the process of metabolizing what we eat and drink, a biochemical process takes place. Calories from foods that we intake are combined with oxygen molecules, which release the energy required for our bodies to function. This energy also fuels our organs and multiple bodily functions as a whole.

Nutrition is one of the most important factors when it comes to your body’s ability to convert food into energy. Essential nutrients will supply your muscles and organs with the necessary chemicals which your body cannot otherwise produce on its own.

A disciplined diet, accompanied by regular exercise will help you maintain and lose weight by allowing your body to function optimally. However, there are other factors that can affect how well your body metabolizes food and converts it into energy.

Some of these factors can include:

• Body size and composition
• Your age
• Your gender
• Medical conditions
• Genetics
• Hormonal factors
• Your muscle mass
• Stress

What Are The Benefits Of Boosting Your Metabolism?

Helps Elevate Your Mood

Individuals who have a high metabolism are typically happier and more energetic. This is because a higher metabolism helps to support a healthy functioning nervous system by allowing your body to absorb micronutrients found in food, more efficiently.

Helps You Lose And Manage Weight

Although a fast metabolism isn’t the only determining factor as to how well you can lose weight, it can definitely serve as a bonus. Your body still needs to burn fat and calories, which is achieved through being active and maintaining a healthy diet.

Remember, your body’s metabolic ability is there to serve you by converting food to energy, and not to burn fat. A fast metabolic rate and regular exercise work hand in hand, and staying on top of both can provide rewarding weight loss results.

Improves Immunity

White blood cells are like soldiers on the front lines for supporting a healthy immune system. A high metabolism will help increase blood circulation, therefore helping distribute these fighter agents throughout your body more effectively.

Helps Clear The Body Of Toxins

A higher metabolism can help get rid of toxins and waste that build up over time in your body by improving bowel movements, and urination. This is due to your body’s ability to better absorb and distribute micronutrients throughout your bloodstream.

Helps Prevent Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is a result of your body becoming insulin resistant due to your body’s inability to process fats and sugars from foods. A fast metabolism will help with the break down of these molecules and help stabilize your body’s insulin levels.

How To Determine If You Have An Unhealthy Metabolism?

If you notice that it is difficult to control your weight, and are gaining excess fat around the mid-section of your body (ie: hips, stomach, and thighs), there is a good chance that you have a slow metabolism.

Even if you are changing your diet and exercising regularly, if you aren’t seeing results fast enough, this can be a good indicator that other factors such as stress, medical conditions or hormonal changes may be stopping your body from metabolizing food fast enough.

Another sign of a slow metabolism is a lack of mental focus or sustained energy throughout the day. Crashing mid-day and lacking energy even once you get up in the morning can be a result of your body’s inability to convert food to energy effectively.

5 Natural Ways To Boost Your Metabolism

1. Eat More Often Throughout The Day

The one common mistake people make is eating only twice, or even sometimes once a day. If you wait too long between meals, your body will burn calories more slowly and store more fat. This can cause your body to go into starvation mode and can also have a negative impact on your nervous system. 

Although there is no scientific evidence showing that eating smaller meals more frequently throughout the day can, in fact, speed up your metabolic rate, it is undeniable that depriving yourself of food between meals has a negative impact on your health. Your lifestyle, diet, and activeness all link back to how well your body functions, including its ability to metabolize food.

2. Reduce Stress

Our minds and body are designed to tolerate stress. However, chronic stress can have a large negative impact on your body by forcing the breakdown of muscle tissue and storing fat.

Studies have shown that this can cause insulin resistance as well as increase blood pressure, which are all linked to how well we metabolize food. In addition, stress can also disrupt sleeping patterns, diet, and lifestyle habits which can all decrease the quality of our overall health.

As challenging is it may be to stay healthy when stressed, part-taking in practices such as meditation, relaxation techniques, and social council can help elevate your mood, and help you find the motivation necessary to make healthier choices.

3. Try High-Intensity Workouts

One of the best ways to boost your body’s metabolic rate is through high-intensity interval training, otherwise known as ‘HIIT’. This type of exercise forces your body to make up more oxygen throughout the day and puts you in a constant fat-burning state.

What’s also great about this type of workout is it’s highly effective for fat loss because it helps burn it off consistently throughout the day, even after you finish your workout.

4. Get Plenty Of Sleep

Studies have shown that sleep deprivation and sleep disorders can alter our body’s ability to metabolize food. Not getting enough proper deep sleep can also increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Getting plenty of sleep will help regulate your hormones, stabilize your body’s insulin levels, and helps to boost ghrelin, which is a hunger hormone that signals the body when to eat. As a result, this will help improve your metabolic rate.

5. Drink Green Or OolongTea

According to research, green tea and oolong tea has the potential to improve a person’s metabolic rate by 4-5 percent.

For centuries, tea has been used to help with weight-loss and improving one’s health thanks to its nutritional value and detoxifying effects. Green and oolong tea is also low in calories and can help to convert fat to fatty acids. This can help increase more effective fat burning effects.