Not Only Genetics Assure Fast Metabolism, But These 7 Things As Well

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People with a fast metabolism are probably very lucky. It seems they can eat and drink just about whatever they want and still remain shapely. But having a fast metabolism doesn’t just come down to genetics and chance. There’s plenty of other factors behind-the-scenes which can effectively boost your metabolism or slow it down, in this case. Let’s take a look at our top 7.

1. Not drinking caffeine

Caffeine has made its way to most commercial fat burning supplements and for good reason. It is one of the few substances that is known to help mobilize fats from the fat tissues and increase metabolism. The higher our metabolic rate the easier it is for us to lose weight and the more we can allow ourselves to eat without gaining. It’s been proven that caffeine can increase the metabolic rate by 3-11%, with larger doses having an even bigger effect. So whip out your espresso cup and pour yourself some of that coffee goodness to rev up your metabolism!

2. Eating only refined (white) carbohydrates

Refined foods such as white bread, pasta, and rice are easily broken down by the body because the complex carbohydrates have been taken out of them. This means that your body doesn’t have to work very hard in order to digest the nutrition found in these foods, leaving your metabolism at a crawl. Refined carbs don’t offer a lot of nutritional value anyway, so you’re better off consuming whole wheat breads, pasta, and brown rice. These choices require your metabolism to work in order to digest the nutrients, so it helps to speed it up.

3. Not consuming enough iron

Iron-rich foods are essential for carrying the oxygen your muscles need to burn fat. Unless you restock your stores, you run the risk of low energy and a sagging metabolism. Shellfish, lean meats, beans, fortified cereals, and spinach are excellent sources or iron.

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4. Drinking water at room temperature

It’s been proven that drinking a glass of ice water burns calories. According to the University of Washington, you burn 8 more calories for every 1 cup of cold water you drink when compared to drinking 1 cup of room temperature water. The reason you burn more calories drinking cold water than room temperature water is because your body is fighting, or burning energy, to keep your temperature at 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit which is the average body temperature.

5. Not getting enough sleep

The amount of rest you get each night doesn’t only affect your mood and productivity the next day. Researchers have found that it also affects your metabolism. Sleep-deprived individuals have a decreased ability to manage blood sugar levels and also may find themselves hungrier (particularly for high carbohydrate foods). So, sleep more for a healthier metabolism. A win-win situation we reckon!

6. Consuming too much alcohol

In moderation, alcohol has been shown to have some positive health effects including slightly increasing, not decreasing, your metabolism. However, alcohol is still high in calories and offers few nutrients. Drinking too much could counteract any of its positive health effects and make it harder for you to lose weight. Aside from this, findings showing that moderate alcohol consumption can help you control your weight, and the research is clear that drinking excessively will cause you to gain weight. An analysis showed that people who had four or more drinks per day, along with binge drinkers (those who may not drink every day but drink heavily on regular occasions) were significantly more likely to become obese. If weight control is your goal, moderation with alcohol is key.

7. Not getting enough vitamin D

Living in many parts of the world entails long winters with little sunlight and, even when the sun is shining, many of us tend to be confined to offices and not outside soaking up the rays. But did you know that vitamin D boosts your metabolism? Every cell in your body needs vitamin D to function properly – including the dreaded fat cells. Special receptors for the vitamin signal whether you should burn fat or simply store it and when vitamin D plugs into these receptors, it’s like a key that drives your body’s fat-melting mechanism.

So, next time you look at a lean person, don’t feel jealous about their quick metabolism. It seems they don’t even work for their body because now you can see that they most likely do! There are many other things that can slow down your metabolism such as not getting enough exercise and a lack of other vitamins and minerals other than those we’ve mentioned here, but by doing your research and making some relatively small changes to your lifestyle, you can rev that engine once again and start to see your efforts pay off as the fat melts away!

References:

wwwmedlineplus.gov

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov