Some people believe that a fast metabolism is the only thing we need to lose weight. But in fact, this assumption is just part of the truth. The more actively the body processes food into energy, the easier it is to lose weight. On the other hand, metabolism is complex, extremely individual and incompletely studied. However, boosting the metabolism will give you a lot of benefits that include weight loss. Let’s look at how it can be accomplished:
1. Eat Dark Chocolate
Chocolate with a high cocoa content (from 70%) helps to cope with stress. But it turns out that this is not all the magic that lies in a dark chocolate bar. Scientists have found that eating 40 grams of dark chocolate every day will boost metabolism within two weeks’ time. Dark chocolate normalizes insulin sensitivity which is beneficial for people who want to lose weight since the body actively processes food into energy.
2. Don’t Forget About Regular Workouts
A 10-15 minute active training is often more effective in accelerating metabolism than an hour of jogging or yoga. High-intensity interval training is the most popular type of workout among people who want to lose weight. HIIT involves short periods of maximum activity that alternate with short periods of rest.
High-intensity interval training improves the absorption of lipids and glucose which provides normal and healthy weight loss. In addition, the body gets used to consuming more oxygen which is essential for burning fat.
3. Get Enough Sleep
According to integrative medicine, lack of sleep slows down metabolism and makes the body gain weight. In particular, lack of sleep dramatically lowers leptin levels. Leptin is an important hormone that regulates appetite and energy intake.
If you don’t want to slow down your metabolism, you need to take care of your sleep quality and quantity. Keep in mind that getting enough sleep is as important as regular exercising and proper diet for weight loss.
4. Breathe Deeper
Deep breathing is a much more effective way to lose weight than strict diets. The deeper you breathe, the more oxygen gets into the blood and the more actively the process of converting energy, including fats and sugar happens.
5. Drink Cold Water
Everyone who is trying to lose weight probably heard that drinking a glass of water 20-30 minutes before a meal will make you eat less. But did you know that drinking cold water before a meal is more beneficial for you? Coldwater will not only make you full but also make the body spend extra calories to warm up. Actually, 16 oz. of cold water will speed up your metabolic rate by 30%.
6. Eat Before Sleep
You may think that this sounds like nonsense. But scientists from the University of Florida have found that a light snack before bedtime can improve night metabolism, in particular, activate fat processing during sleep.
The study was conducted with the participation of men suffering from obesity, and, of course, needs to be re-checked on more average people, but still, it makes sense to take into account its results. A light snack is a portion of not more than 150 cal with a predominance of protein.