Six Easy Ways to Boost Your Metabolism

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?

higher metabolism means more weight loss
DO I WANT TO TRY TO RAISE MY BASAL METABOLIC RATE OR NOT?
YES YOU DO!
Why? Go to the next slides....
Basal metabolic rate is the number of calories your body needs to accomplish its most basic (basal) life-sustaining functions.
BMR defined
Basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the largest component (60–75%) of daily energy expenditure for most individuals
A higher metabolism means burning more calories
Even when you're doing absolutely nothing!
That means you can eat more!
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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 easy ways to boost your metabolism_couch potato copy
Don't panic. Read on!

SIX SCIENCE-BACKED WAYS TO BURN MORE CALORIES

Science-backed ways to burn more calories_Kev_resident_
We're love science & your blog! Tell us!

1. EAT MORE PROTEIN AT EVERY MEAL

Make Sense of Science _cowboy hat_Alex
More protein to increase metabolism? But that's so easy.
YES! It's that easy.
THESE SIX SMALL LIFESTYLE CHANGES WILL INCREASE YOUR METABOLISM
THIS WORKS BECAUSE OF THE THERMIC EFFECT OF FOOD
Eating food temporarily increases your metabolism for a few hours!
TEF
Remember basal metabolic rate is energy needed to maintain your body.
And extra calories are required to digest, absorb, & process the nutrients in your meal.
Protein Metabolism
Dietary protein requires 20 to 30 % of its usable energy to be expended for metabolism!
Compared to 5 to 10 % for carbs and 0 to 3 % for fats
Eating more protein can also reduce the drop in metabolism often associated with losing fat.
Protein and dieting
This is because protein helps prevent muscle loss, which is a common side effect of dieting
This isn't a post about weight loss but I wanted to mention it anyway.
Protein & weight loss
Research shows that a high-protein diet results in…
more fat loss (abdominal fat in particular) far better muscle preservation, & more satiety, helping you avoid hunger pangs & cravings.
High protein diet study
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HOW MUCH PROTEIN DO YOU NEED?

It depends!

The recommendation is 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.

You can play w the calculator below but mine came in less than 2 g/kg body weight!
PROTEIN CALCULATOR HERE

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_protein
30% protein to boost your metabolism
Please subscribe and Make sense of Science_Louie
I love protein because I'm a carnivore. More please!

SIX EASY WAYS TO BOOST YOUR METABOLISM con't.

2. WEAR AN EXERCISE MONITOR 

I know, it’s a little annoying that I’m bringing up that evil eight-letter word exercise. It doesn’t have to be sweat-producing or take a lot of your time. We’re boosting our metabolism here, not going white-water rafting. 

Make Sense of Science_Virginia fall river

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!

WEAR AN EXERCISE MONITOR_Louie
LOUIE LOVES HIS FLOWERS
Researchers from BYU found that people who wore pedometers walked an average of 318 more steps per day!
Pedometer study
This increase in steps occurred even though the study subjects didn't have any specific intention to walk more, and even if they could not see the step counts.
Just wearing a pedometer altered their behavior to walk more.
Louie is a walking enthusiast
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When most people think energy expenditure, they think only of concentrated efforts like workouts.
ALL physical activity counts!
from walking around while on the phone or standing on one leg while brushing our teeth or drumming our fingers when we read or bobbing our leg when we think.
The energy burned by these activities is known as non-exercise activity thermogenesis
NEAT!
What is NEAT
Research shows that NEAT can vary by up to 2,000 calories per day among many individuals.
2000 calories is the difference between dessert and no dessert!
This is another way of saying your BMR would be higher
energy deficit for weight loss
The same research indicates that people could burn an additional 350 calories per day by taking simple actions to increase movement every day like taking the stairs when possible, walking relatively short distances instead of driving
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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

Six Science-Backed Ways To Burn More Calories_IAN
Isn't that a little dramatic?
SUGAR IS THE DEVIL_PIED PIPER
I like a little drama.

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

DON'T DRINK YOUR CALORIES SOFT DRINKS
Don't drink your calories
SAD FACT: Humans compensate poorly for liquid calories
Sugar-sweetened beverage consumption increases total energy intake
Sugar study
Increased total energy intake means
that drinking sugar causes your metabolism to gather even more calories from the foods you've ingested than you would if you ate the same foods w/o drinking the sugar.
Energy intake
Glucose & sucrose intake can reduce insulin sensitivity after 4 weeks & elevate fat mass.
Insulin sensitivity
Drinking your calories in sugar form also raises the risk of harmful metabolic effects in addition to possible effects of sugars per se.
A soft drink study
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This includes fruit juice! Just check the label to see how much sugar is in one serving…

six science backed ways to burn more calories_juice
THIS INCLUDES FRUIT JUICE

Drinking sugar actually LOWERS your metabolism

UGH

Try to stick to coffee, tea, seltzer, water

For a post about the legend of tea...
TEA AND HOW IT CAME TO BE

Let’s stick with liquids and move on to the 4th of six easy ways to boost your metabolism!

4. DRINK MORE WATER

Drinking more water is one of the easiest ways to boost your metabolism & health
In a study below, drinking 500 ml of water increased metabolic rate by 30%
500 ml = 16 ounces
Water induced thermogenesis
Thermogenesis is
using energy through the production of heat
thermogenesis defined
Drinking 2 liters of water per day would augment energy expenditure by approximately 400 kJ
That sounds high but this is a science-backed way to burn more calories
Water is an essential nutrient for life and the most abundant component in the human body. However, its dietary recommendations or clinical management guidelines do not receive as much attention as they deserve.
Water is essential
Drinking cold water has an increased thermic effect because your body has to expend energy to warm it.
cold water & thermogenesis
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Here’s another statement that may sound like hyperbole.

 KIDS DON’T DRINK ENOUGH WATER.

DRINK WATER
I BELIEVE THAT
Studies have demonstrated a relationship between low fluid intake or insufficient hydration & cognitive performance in children.
And cross-sectional surveys suggest that the majority of children do not drink sufficiently, particularly at school.
Study of water ingestion
Water also helps reduce brain fog & suppress appetite, as well as the topic of this post: drinking water is one of six science-backed ways to burn more calories
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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!

alex scuba
You can swim in water, too!

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

Our circadian system plays a pervasive role in regulating our metabolism.
Circadian rhythms & napping
The circadian system regulates glucose, lipid, and energy metabolism in humans.
circadian rhythms & happiness
Disruptions in these rhythms impair metabolism
IOW, slow down our metabolism!
Metabolism & CR
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So how do we get better sleep so we can nail # 5 of six easy ways to boost your metabolism?

1. Reduce blue light exposure before bed
Blue light causes an increase in cortisol levels. Cortisol is a stress hormone.
Blue light & cortisol
This means no screens 30 minutes before you go to sleep
Blue light study
Okay...
There IS software available for computers, phones, and tablets that adjusts the color of the light emitted by screens to the time of the day.
You could read b4 bed instead of using a screen.
Sadly electronic readers emit blue light!
Here are a few book recommendations for your kids, grandkids, nieces, and nephews!
BOOKS
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limit blue light b4 bed_kindle
For more book recommendations, click the kindle

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.)

2. Go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day
Your body likes routine & doing this improves sleep quality.
Sleep & metabolism
Mistimed light exposure & sleep adversely affects metabolic health in humans.
And messes with your BMR
Sleep and metabolism
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The Perfect Nap is a Science_Baby louie_get comfortable
Louie likes nap buddies!

And this brings me to #6 of our six easy ways to boost your metabolism!

6. TURN DOWN YOUR THERMOSTAT 

six easy ways to burn more calories_turn down the heat
SIX SCIENCE-BACKED WAYS TO BOOST YOUR METABOLISM
There are metabolic benefits to colder environments.
60-67 degrees F is ideal
Cold environments & metabolism
Studies show that colder temperatures can increase brown fat stores, which increases basal metabolic rate.
brown fat & metabolism
Researchers were able to detect & activate the brown fat in subjects by exposing them to cold ambient temperature.
Brown fat $ study
In addition, they estimated if all the brown fat in one’s body is metabolically activated, it would burn the equivalent of 9 pounds (4.1 kg) of fat
If you want to cool your bed down, this product will help.
Sleep system to cool your mattress pad.
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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?

Subscribe and make sense of science_Alex
WE WANT TO EAT MORE!

Which of these six changes to boost your metabolism do you think sounds the easiest?

Or the most difficult?

THE EASIEST THING TO DO IS SUBSCRIBE TO MY BLOG!

Click on the link below. I'll send an email ~1/ month! You'll only hear from me & Louie. Not that guy.

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Ami
Ami
October 31, 2022 6:04 am

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!

Jenny Marston (Jenny in Neverland)
October 31, 2022 6:05 am

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!

Alyssa
Alyssa
October 31, 2022 6:15 am

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.

Marian Grudko
Marian Grudko
October 31, 2022 7:26 am

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!

Marian Grudko
Marian Grudko
Reply to  Susan Berk Koch
October 31, 2022 8:56 am

Thanks so much, Susan – I figure that from you we’ll get the real deal answers. Grateful for you and love your blog!

Jenni
October 31, 2022 7:52 am

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.

Lauren
October 31, 2022 8:23 am

This was a really informative blog post. This will be so helpful for others. Thank you for sharing.

Lauren.

Fadima Mooneira
October 31, 2022 9:01 am

These are good ways to boost metabolism. It’s important to have an active metabolism. Especially for foodies.hehehe.

Katherine
October 31, 2022 9:12 am

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!

Eileen
Eileen
October 31, 2022 9:20 am

Super timely and helpful! My takeaway – all the left over trick or treat candy tonight should NOT go into the fridge for future snacks 😉

Mike
Mike
October 31, 2022 10:09 am

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

Becki Kidd
Becki Kidd
October 31, 2022 10:15 am

Not eating sugar is the hardest for me. I have cut wayyy down, but I find eating some stops me from binging as much.

Stephanie
October 31, 2022 10:15 am

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.

Amy Laundrie
October 31, 2022 10:19 am

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.

Jodie
Jodie
October 31, 2022 10:48 am

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.

Fransic verso
Fransic verso
October 31, 2022 12:10 pm

Great ideas and I don’t wear monitor but now I will consider for the next exercises. Thank you for sharing!

Unwanted Life
October 31, 2022 3:38 pm

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?

Eva Apelqvist
Eva Apelqvist
October 31, 2022 3:42 pm

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.

Mummy Conquering Anxiety
November 1, 2022 3:50 pm

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!

Molly | Transatlantic Notes
November 1, 2022 6:00 pm

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!

Ashley
Ashley
November 2, 2022 8:26 am

This was a really informative post which I’ve taken so much from. Thank you for sharing xxx

Ron
Ron
November 2, 2022 10:54 am

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.

sejak
sejak
November 2, 2022 11:28 am

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

Charity
Charity
November 2, 2022 3:13 pm

I love all these ways of improving your metabolism! I need all the help I can get in that area lol

Lisa's Notebook
November 3, 2022 10:40 am

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!

Benny
November 3, 2022 12:35 pm

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…)

Thrift Plan Enjoy
November 5, 2022 6:02 am

This post is so interesting and full of great facts that we should all live by. Less sugar, less liquid calories, more protein!

Simona
Simona
December 5, 2022 5:29 am

Drinking more water and getting rid of sugar are two things I really need to work on!

Susan Berk Koch author

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