Your body’s metabolism plays a vital role in weight loss. Metabolism refers to how your body burns calories for processes like breathing and blood circulation. How many calories you burn, however, depends on your individual metabolic rate. The faster it is, the more calories you burn.
If you’re looking to shed some weight, here are four things that you can do to speed up your metabolic rate naturally.
1. Eat more protein
Any food you eat will increase your metabolism for a short time after. This is caused by the thermic effect of food (TEF), whereby your body burns extra calories to digest and metabolise what you eat.
Protein is shown to have the highest TEF out of all the food groups, increasing your metabolic rate by 20 – 30%. Protein is also shown to keep you full for more extended periods of time, so you won’t be overeating or binging on snacks! As such, including protein in your diet helps you to burn more calories throughout the day.
2. Do HIIT workouts
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts consist of short bursts of intense cardio and strength exercises with periods of low-intensity recovery. One benefit of HIIT, which makes it a favourite for weight loss, is its ability to burn a large number of calories in a short period of time.
However, HIIT provides a high ‘afterburn’ as well. After a workout, your body goes through excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). EPOC causes your body to draw oxygen and burn calories at an enhanced rate to restore itself to its normal state. HIIT is shown to cause a significantly higher EPOC than other exercises due to its high intensity.
3. Get your caffeine dose
If you’re a fan of coffee, you’re in luck! Studies show that caffeine in coffee can boost your metabolism by 3 – 11%. The same goes for oolong and green tea, which are shown to increase metabolism by 4 – 5%. Caffeine is also a fat burner, as it stimulates the nervous system to signal fat cells to break down fats in the body. This fat burning causes an increase in metabolic rate.
Furthermore, coffee and tea are low in calories when drunk without sugar or milk, making them a good beverage option for weight loss.
Boost your metabolism holistically
Taking care of your body as a whole is another method to accelerate your metabolic rate. If you’d like to enhance your metabolism holistically, there are specialised TCM slimming treatments available in Singapore to do just that. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a popular form of holistic treatment as it’s a natural approach to curing specific ailments.
We offer a non-invasive TCM slimming treatment that uses specialised techniques to help you lose weight healthily. One of the techniques used, Guasha, uses a special apparatus that stimulates blood flow and circulation to increase metabolism. And if you’re worried about maintaining your weight after your treatment, we offers post-treatment support with a comprehensive diet plan to ease your worries.
TCM slimming is an effective treatment to speed up your metabolic rate and improve your overall health naturally.