Supercharge your Metabolism

Ever notice how the older wiser you get, those cheat days don’t seem to melt away as quickly? Notice that you can’t just “go hardcore” one month before bikini season anymore? Notice how your metabolism just isn’t what it used to be when you were 18? Well, it isn’t. It used to be that being in your teens/early 20′s was really all you needed to burn away late night fast food binges, but now you may have to work a littttttle harder. I’m dedicating this post to simple life changes that you can make starting right now to rev up your metabolism.

1. H2O

[I almost finished this post when I decided to reorder the items so that water was at the top (the remainder are in no particular order)]. It’s been proven that drinking a proper amount of water a day (minimum 64 oz) can boost metabolism by 30%. That is not a small number you want to play around with. In addition, dehydration can also cause your metabolism to slow down. Personally, I have a 24 oz water bottle that I take everywhere with me. It’s insulated so it stays cool. I target filling it about 4 times throughout the day – meaning I’m usually getting about 100 oz of water a day. General rule of thumb is to divide your weight in lbs by 2 and that’s how many ounces of water you should be getting at a minimum.

2. Lean Protein

I sound like a broken record when I keep going on and on about Protein – but it is so important to ensure that you incorporate it into every meal and snack possible. When it comes to your metabolism, protein actually requires energy just to digest it but also keeps you feeling satisfied and full. It’s the energy to digest that causes your metabolism to keep running on high.

3. Rise and SHINE

An elevated heart rate during morning workouts can definitely help boost your metabolism for the rest of the day. If you’re not a morning person or can’t squeeze a workout in the mornings, you can mirror the effect by incorporating bursts of energy throughout the day. For example, every time you go to the washroom, do 20 fast squats. Elevating your heart rate can lead to a nice healthy caloric afterburn.

4. Breathe!

This is one skill I definitely have not mastered, but have improved on significantly in the last few years. Stress abounds our every day lives. However, when you experience heightened stressors (whether in your home/work/school environments) it activates our “fight or flight” response via the sympathetic nervous system producing a surge of cortisol – the stress hormone – in addition to insulin. Both of which accelerate fat storage and slow down your metabolism. Not to mention the most obvious…how many of you are stress snackers? I rest my case :)

5. Who has a desk job?

I do! In recent years it’s turned into one that I’m generally just running from meeting to meeting so at least that gets my blood moving, but a bulk of the day I’m just sitting. If this mirrors your day to day you must get up and MOVE at least once an hour. Take the stairs down for a tea/coffee instead of the elevator…just get up and squat (go hide in the photocopy room if you need)…do some leg lifts or tri dips using the chair…whatever it is, move it. Studies have shown that sitting for an hour or more reduces the fat burning enzymes in your body by as much as 90%!

6. Pumping (up) Iron

One major culprit for a sagging metabolism can also be due to low iron (esp in women). Iron rich foods are essential for carrying oxygen our muscles need to burn fat. Being deficient in iron can also lead to low energy. I personally love some lean red meat (in moderation), but if you avoid it, you can also obtain iron from beans, spinach and shellfish.

Before I go, I wanted to remind all the mama’s out there that calories are free on Birthdays and especially on Mother’s Day! Hope you have an amazing Mothers Day. I’ll be enjoying the day with this sweet little angel. 

xxxo
Maja