cabbagehead
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Metabolism is the rate your body burns calories. Increasing metabolism is a balancing act between getting your body to burn calories quickly, but not so quickly that your body thinks you're starving. Genetics do play a role in this, but only slightly. There are several steps you can take to increase your metabolism.
Eat frequently: Eating small meals every three to four hours will convince your body that food is readily available. It will be less likely to store fat.
Eat slow digesting foods: Simple sugars digest very quickly, giving you a quick boost that soon tapers off. Whole grains, fruits, and vegetables take more effort to break down, keeping your body from feeling hungry.
Eat some fat: Fats are needed in the production of hormones that control your metabolism. Because of this, extreme low fat diets can slow your metabolism.
Drink plenty of water: A hydrated body will be able to deal with food more easily. Water is also necessary to break down proteins to use as fuel.
Exercise: Interval training, a mix of low and high impact exercise, has been shown to boost metabolism throughout the day.
Build muscle: Your body needs a certain amount of calories to maintain itself, with some tissues using more than others. Muscle uses the most, at 40-50 calories per pound. Before you go out and start bodybuilding, keep in mind that even the best diet and exercise regime will only result in an additional half-pound of muscle growth per week.
Avoid alcohol: Alcohol metabolism forms acetates that your body will use for fuel before it burns fat. In clinical trials, fat use dropped to almost 1/4 of the normal level after volunteers had just two drinks. This effect can last for several hours.
Posted 5424 day ago
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