Why do you want six easy ways to boost your metabolism? Because six easy ways to boost your metabolism means that I’ve found six easy ways to burn more calories! Even when you’re doing absolutely nothing at all!
First, we need to define the term, basal metabolic rate.
WHAT IS BASAL METABOLIC RATE?
So yes, you do want six easy ways to boost your metabolism
Who doesn't want to eat more?
Maybe I should have entitled this post ‘six easy ways to boost your metabolism while being a couch potato.’
SIX SCIENCE-BACKED WAYS TO BURN MORE CALORIES
1. EAT MORE PROTEIN AT EVERY MEAL
HOW MUCH PROTEIN DO YOU NEED?
The recommendation is 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.
If you want to boost your metabolism, it’s recommended to eat 30% of your diet as protein.
I’m unsure why my photo ended up w/ that ‘3’ instead of 30%. I tried it three times. Three was not a charm in this case.
SIX EASY WAYS TO BOOST YOUR METABOLISM con't.
2. WEAR AN EXERCISE MONITOR
Wearing a gadget will give you a psychological nudge to do a little bit more, which is all we need! And wearing a pedometer or exercise monitor is # 2 of the six science-backed ways to boost your metabolism because it’s scientifically proven to work!
Here are two Amazon affiliate link options for an economical pedometer and for an exercise monitor.
Moving on to the 3rd way of six easy ways you can boost your metabolism…
SUGAR IS THE DEVIL
This is a little off topic, but it’s dramatic. Early warning signals of coronary heart disease (CHD) & the risk of sugar emerged in the 1950s. The sugar industry sponsored a research program in the 1960s and 1970s that successfully cast doubt about the hazards of sucrose while promoting fat as the dietary culprit!
Okay, maybe saying, ‘sugar is the devil’ is hyperbole. Maybe I need to bash the sugar lobby. (Oh, I just did!)
The actual # 3 of six easy ways to boost your metabolism is related…
3. STOP DRINKING YOUR CALORIES
This includes fruit juice! Just check the label to see how much sugar is in one serving…
Drinking sugar actually LOWERS your metabolism
Try to stick to coffee, tea, seltzer, water
Let’s stick with liquids and move on to the 4th of six easy ways to boost your metabolism!
4. DRINK MORE WATER
Here’s another statement that may sound like hyperbole.
KIDS DON’T DRINK ENOUGH WATER.
To encourage your kid to drink more water—or drink more yourself, here’s an affiliate link for some fun reusable water bottles.
And for a post about why you should recycle these bottles, click here!
Now that we’re eating more protein, decreasing our intake of sugary drinks, increasing our water consumption, and we’ve picked up a $20 pedometer, let’s slow it down & look at the 5th way of six easy ways to boost our metabolism!
5. GET BETTER SLEEP
So how do we get better sleep so we can nail # 5 of six easy ways to boost your metabolism?
No need to toss your kindle on account of blue light. To solve the electronic reader issue, you could acquire some blue light-blocking glasses! The text will take you to an amazon affiliate link. (Even though I’m not a fan of Jeff Bezos, who is trying to get to Mars! Read about that here.)
And this brings me to #6 of our six easy ways to boost your metabolism!
6. TURN DOWN YOUR THERMOSTAT
Brown fat, when metabolically active, burns calories!
HURRAH!
MAKING THESE SIX SMALL LIFESTYLE CHANGES WILL INCREASE YOUR METABOLISM
These six easy ways to boost your metabolism shouldn’t be considered a quick fix. Louie & I hope that you’ll try to incorporate them into your routine, as a lifestyle change. You will burn more calories, which means you’ll lose weight. Or you can just eat more!
Who doesn’t want to eat more and not gain weight?
Which of these six changes to boost your metabolism do you think sounds the easiest?
Or the most difficult?
I think turning down the heat will be the toughest way for me. Winter will be here soon and I’m always cold. I’ll be eating more protein and drinking more water for sure. Thank you!
I get cold in the winter, too! Here’s to eating more protein and drinking more water. Hurrah!
Some fab tips here to help boost your metabolism! I drink a lot of water already and get enough sleep (I think). I could probably do with cutting down on sugar a touch!
Two of six is fantastic! Kudos to you. I ate three pieces of our Halloween candy yesterday so I know what you mean about cutting back! Thanks so much, Jenny!
I’m going to pick up a pair of blue light glasses for watching TV at night. I admit that I turn off the TV and while I try to read in bed, it probably isn’t half an hour between the two. Thanks for these excellent tips! Great post.
I admit that I don’t have any blue light glasses, either. I have mine ordered, though…thanks so much!
Blue light glasses are actually very restful. I start using them for any screen viewing as soon as the sun goes down. Another topic: what do you think of the alternative sweeteners, like erythritol? I don’t use it, but friends do. (I stick with fruit.) Have you done a post on this? If so, may I have the link? (If not, could you?) Thanks as always!
I’m excited that you find the blue light glasses advantageous! I am happy that you brought up the topic of artificial sweeteners! I haven’t done a post about them but it’s a great idea! Artificial sweeteners have been in vogue for decades and are now constituents of many processed foods. Emphasis on ‘processed foods.’ I’m not a fan of relying on processed foods so I’m suspicious and wary. I will investigate this, Marian, thank you!
Thanks so much, Susan – I figure that from you we’ll get the real deal answers. Grateful for you and love your blog!
You’re good for my self-esteem, Marian! I’m grateful that you like my posts! Thank you.
Very informative Susan! I will definitely think about drinking more water and getting a pedometer. On the rest I am doing okayish, at least I think so.
Good to hear that you’re doing well with your sleep! Thanks so much, Jenni!
This was a really informative blog post. This will be so helpful for others. Thank you for sharing.
Lauren.
I’m happy that you found the information worthwhile. Thank you for stopping by!
These are good ways to boost metabolism. It’s important to have an active metabolism. Especially for foodies.hehehe.
Yes, we foodies must take advantage of science and burn off more of that delicious food while we rest on the couch! Thanks!
I’m currently in the middle of my weight loss journey and agree these work! Drinking more water and eating more protein especially have made a huge difference in how steadily the weight comes off!
Good for you to be halfway towards your goal! I’m happy to hear that 2 of these six easy methods to boost your metabolism are working for you. Thanks so much for sharing your experience.
Super timely and helpful! My takeaway – all the left over trick or treat candy tonight should NOT go into the fridge for future snacks 😉
I’ve got my candy leftovers bagged up to … donate! 😉 Thanks, Eileen!
I also would be interested to see what you think about artificial sweeteners. Your research is always so complete. This definitely hits home with the sugary drinks which I have too much of a not enough water. Can start today. I agree with getting rid of the Halloween candy. I’ll just give it to my grandsons. Just a joke. Great as usual. Mike
I think artificial sweeteners and their health ramifications would be an intriguing topic, too! Get yourself a fun water bottle! La Croix counts, too. Your leftover candy? A Marie Kondo purge is an option! ha! Thanks.
Not eating sugar is the hardest for me. I have cut wayyy down, but I find eating some stops me from binging as much.
I agree with you about sugar. I love it. This time of year it is especially difficult to deny oneself. Good that you’ve found moderation works to keep yourself in control! We should start a sugar support group…! Thanks.
Sending this to my husband and some friends who definitely need more water in their lives. I’m sometimes so shocked at how long some people go without it. Thanks for this list, I found it helpful.
Thanks so much for spreading the word and for sharing my post. As an aside, I also find water staves off headaches! I’m glad you found this helpful.
Hi Sue,
Great topic! I actually find exercise the easiest way to boost metabolism. I just finished two joy-filled hours playing pickleball and I get to play tennis tomorrow. Now spending time in a gym is not joyful to me. Most people can find an activity such as dancing or walking the dog that they enjoy.
Thanks for the research.
I’m happy that you enjoy pickleball and tennis! I have yet to try pickleball but it’s on my to-do list! I am a huge yoga fan and also enjoy walking with Louie. My husband likes to tease me about my exercise watch and how I’m trying to please it. He’s spot on though because since I received it, I am walking more. Thanks, Amy!
These is such a great topic and I appreciated your tips. The one we have no control over is aging which has made a dramatic decrease to my own metabolism despite the same diet and exercise etc. Thanks for sharing.
Ugh to our metabolism slowing as we get older. Maybe these tips will help offset that. I have another science-validated post with ways to slow aging here. Thanks, Jodi!
Great ideas and I don’t wear monitor but now I will consider for the next exercises. Thank you for sharing!
Let me know how it goes if you do pick one up. Thanks for stopping by!
I wish I could get better sleep, that would solve a whole load of problems. I also wish I could give up sugar, but it’s about the only thing that has flavour. Why are tasty things so bad for us?
I love sugar, too. We come by it honestly. Glucose crosses the blood brain barrier quickly. Our greedy neurons need a constant supply for fuel. Glucose is used to manufacture neurotransmitters. In addition, dopamine receptors–our pleasure receptors all over our brains, respond to glucose. So dopamine levels surge when we eat it! (Doing a drug like heroin brings on a bigger deluge of dopamine, but that’s another topic)
Maybe you could stop ingesting sugar a few hours b4 bed? Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!
Out of all your excellent posts, this one feels most relevant to me. I have resisted a bracelet but might have to give in now. And get back to drinking water. I’ve been slacking. Thank you. Fun and helpful.
I agree, it takes effort to hydrate! We’ll keep at it. Thanks so much, Eva. I’m happy that you found this post relevant.
Great post – love the science as always. I’m with you on ditching the liquid calories and changing our behaviour through small gadgets. Anything helps!
Here’s to ditching liquid calories! Every little bit does add up. Thanks so much.
Ooh, some really great ideas; I think my metabolism needs a big boost so I will be trying some of these out to help it along!
I’m happy that you like some of these six easy ways to boost your metabolism! Let me know which ones work out for you! And thanks.
This was a really informative post which I’ve taken so much from. Thank you for sharing xxx
I’m pleased that you’ve found some takeaways from my post. Thank you for stopping by!
A great read this. All the tips shared here are great. What is fascinating is that most symptoms of dehydration are similar to those of sleep deprivation (headaches, irritability, poor concertation etc) which means simply drinking enough could fix a lot of sleep including improving sleep, thanks for sharing this.
What an excellent point about the parallels between dehydration and sleep deprivation! Drinking water has a double bonus. Thanks so much!
I love the gifs and cards you added, it really helps with reading interesting. Sugar really is the devil, and trying to make sure you only eat a small portion of sugar will only help. Thanks for sharing!
sejal | thelazygal.com
I’m gratified that you like my extras in the post! I agree 100% about reducing sugar. (obviously!) Thank you so much!
I love all these ways of improving your metabolism! I need all the help I can get in that area lol
HA! I need that help, too! Thank you!
Earlier this year I was running 3 x per week but when the heatwave arrived, I had to stop. Then I injured my ankle so haven’t been running for a while – these tips to kick my metabolism into gear couldn’t have come at a better time, thank you, Sue!
I’m sorry to hear about your injury! I hope your ankle heals soon. Meanwhile, yes, you can incorporate these tips into your routine. Thank you, Lisa!
The interesting thing about these six ways to boost your metabolism, is that they are all so easy to do. At least from a pratical standpoint. They do require some real mental effort. Take the not easting sugat anymore. I’ve drastically reduced my sugar intake, but there are moments when I crave for something sweet. Now I try to replace it with something like carrots, but in moments of weakenss I can eat a lot of sweets.
Excellent post and some great food for thought. (I’ve read that thinking also burns a lot of calories…)
Well actually the science suggests not drinking sugar. But I know exactly how you feel. It’s tough to cut back on foods we love. And yes, thinking burns calories too! HA Thank you so much!
This post is so interesting and full of great facts that we should all live by. Less sugar, less liquid calories, more protein!
It sounds so simple, doesn’t it? I admit that I occasionally (ha) succumb to the lure of sugar, but at least we have goals! Thanks so much, Sam.
Drinking more water and getting rid of sugar are two things I really need to work on!
I love sugar so it’s a challenge for me to cut back as well! Thanks so much Simona!