How to Speed Up Metabolism to Lose Weight (Without) Food and Exercise
- Learn how to speed up your metabolism to lose weight without using food or exercise to do it.
- These tips are not generally thought of as metabolism boosters but they are things that you can do every day to increase your metabolism.
- You will find that some of them improve all areas of your life, not just your weight loss efforts.
Obesity is at an all-time high and so are obesity-related diseases. Even though there are many people who are not obese, there are those who are still overweight or who are not happy with the extra weight that they carry. How to speed up metabolism to lose weight is a very popular question.
You may have been eating right and exercising but seeing no results or perhaps you are just tired of being told what to eat and to exercise all the time. If you want to know how to fix a slow metabolism naturally without eating certain foods or exercising, you are in the right place.
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Before we move on, let’s first have a look at what your metabolism is and how it all works.
What Is Metabolism And Why Is It Important
Your metabolism is the processes in your body that keep you alive. It is the amount of energy your body uses to do perform tasks like breathing, digesting your food, making hormones, getting rid of waste, keeping your heart pumping, etc. The energy that your body uses comes from the food that you eat. An imbalance in the amount of energy in versus out results in changes in your weight.
If your body thinks you are starving (common with yo-yo dieting) or if you are not in good shape, your metabolism slows down. It does this in an attempt to keep you alive, but also because sometimes your body is not getting what it needs to run efficiently.
So you see, while you do not need to be obsessed with food or with exercising although it is important to make sure that you are eating enough, getting all the nutrients that your body needs, and staying active. But you can speed up your metabolism without changing those things by implementing these simple tips that are not often thought of as metabolism boosters.
How To Increase Your Metabolism
You might find some of these tips strange, but they are good for your overall health and when it comes to a metabolism increase, they may be just what you need.
1. Cold Showers
This may not be the most pleasant way to do it but it is effective. This is because we actually have two different types of fat. White fat which is the fat underneath our skin and when we tend to stress a lot or are overweight, it is the fat around our organs known as visceral fat or belly fat. The second type of fat is brown fat which is located between our shoulder blades.
This fat is essentially there to keep us warm. When exposed to cold water the brown fat is activated to try and keep us warm and in doing so it speeds up our metabolism. As this mechanism kicks in you will find that your body becomes used to the cold and you will feel less cold and shiver less too. It is like when you jump into a cold pool.
The best time to take a cold shower is after a workout or a sauna session. You can also alternate between hot and cold water if you struggle with poor blood circulation. The myth that you will get a cold or flu when your body temperature changes are just that. A myth. Colds and flu are caused by viruses that you come into contact with and your immune system is too weak to fight off.
2. Laughter
Now you do not have to feel bad for watching that silly but funny show and you have even more reason to enjoy yourself with family and friends. Laughing can increase your calorie (energy) expenditure by 10-20% for the duration of your laughter. But note, it has to be genuine laughter. While this increase is not a lot in the grand scheme of things, it has many other benefits.
When we laugh genuinely, endorphins (hormones) are released making us feel happy and lowering our stress levels. Increased levels of the stress hormone cortisol is one of the major reasons that so many struggles with belly fat. Plus, every time you laugh it’s like a mini ab workout. So laugh and enjoy yourself while working your way towards revealing that six pack.
3. Manage Stress
Stress is a metabolism killer. As mentioned, stress encourages your body to accumulate belly fat, but it also increases insulin resistance and by doing so, slows down your metabolism. In today’s society, we are all busy. We work and have deadlines, spend time with our families, do tasks around the home, study, get stuck in traffic, sometimes we argue, and sadly, things go wrong in life.
We are all subjected to stressful situations almost on a daily basis. We need to make sure that we manage our stress well and learn how to effectively deal with a situation. One of the best things for stress, overall success in life, and staying present and calm in each moment is meditation. You should also take time out to do something you enjoy. Spend time with your friends and family.
Even 5 minutes to just relax with a cup of coffee or tea can be helpful. Walking in nature, having a plant on your desk at work, and playing with your pets are also great stress busters. Always take a deep breath when stressed and think before you answer. Effective time management skills and delegating unnecessary work to those who can take it on can really help too.
4. Good Quality Sleep
You may think that all a night of little sleep results in is you feeling tired the next day, but it affects so much more than just your energy levels. Getting enough good quality sleep is the most powerful step to take for your health. Of course, eating well and exercising is important too, but most people know that already. Most of us, however, take sleep for granted.
In terms of your metabolism, if you do not get enough sleep, or you sleep 8 hours but it is poor quality sleep, your body releases cortisol in order to cope. Not to mention that your hormone levels become messed up, in particular, leptin (lets your brain know that you are full) and ghrelin (the hunger hormone). In addition to a slower metabolism, you will end up overeating too.
Try These Tips:
- Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day, even on weekends.
- Make sure that your room is pitch dark and cover any exposed LED lights or switch off the electronics in your room.
- A cool bedroom is better for sleep as is breathable pajamas or sleeping in your birthday suit so that your body doesn’t have to struggle to regulate its temperature.
- Stop drinking caffeine after 3 pm and do not drink alcohol or eat within 3 hours of bedtime.
- Avoid exposure to LED screens an hour before bed.
5. Fidgeting
Fidgeting can boost energy expenditure by 20-30%. Who knew that the activity that your parents and teachers always told you to stop doing is actually a metabolism booster. This is because fidgeting keeps you moving. Working out is great, but that is only an hour or so out of your day. Our bodies are made to move. Our ancestors were almost always active unlike we are today.
You do not necessarily have to start bouncing your legs or anything like that. You can turn it into a practical activity. Why not try knitting or embroidery? If you like art, why not start drawing, coloring in, sculpting, or painting? If these things do not appeal to you, you can listen to music and bob your head or tap your feet to the beat.
I hope you have enjoyed reading about how to speed up your metabolism to lose weight in all these interesting ways. Let me know how your weight loss journey is going. If you enjoy videos, check out my YouTube channel for more tips.
Summary:
- Your body uses the energy you gain from food to perform the tasks necessary to stay alive. Although eating nutritious food and exercising is important for your metabolism, this is not the only way to boost it.
- Cold showers activate the brown fat situated between our shoulder blades which keeps us warm and boosts our metabolism. Best done after exercise or a sauna session.
- Laughing boost energy expenditure by 10-20% while you laugh. It also busts stress and is like a mini ab workout.
- Stress management is important. Meditation is one of the best tools. Breathing exercises, walking in nature, spending time with family, playing with pets, time management, and delegation helps too.
- Get good quality sleep by keeping a regular sleep and wake up times, making the room dark, sleeping in breathable pj’s and a cool room, avoid caffeine from late afternoon onwards, avoid alcohol and eating 3 hours before bed. Stay away from electronics an hour prior.
- Fidgeting increases energy expenditure by 20-30%. Try knitting, embroidery, art activities, or moving to music.
