How to Increase Metabolism

There are several techniques for how to increase metabolism, and anyone can speed up a sluggish metabolism by following one or more of these techniques.

Your metabolism naturally slows as you get older, dropping 2-3% every decade after age 20. A slow metabolism is one of the reasons why many people gain weight as they get older. Even though they're eating less calories than when they were younger, they're burning less calories because of a slow metabolism.

The faster your metabolism, the more calories your body burns to maintain itself. This is why people with fast metabolisms can eat more food than people with slow metabolisms and still not gain weight.

Here are five techniques for how to increase metabolism:

1. Lift weights.

The loss of lean muscle mass can begin as early as your mid-20s. Lean muscle mass is metabolically active tissue, so the more lean muscle mass you lose the slower your metabolism will become. The loss of lean muscle mass is primarily the result of a sedentary lifestyle - if you don't use your muscles they waste away. Weight lifting is the most effective way to build and maintain lean muscle mass.

2. Do interval training.

Interval training, also known as high intensity interval training or HIIT, consists of alternating high intensity "work intervals" with low to moderate intensity "recovery intervals" over a 10 to 20 minute time period.

For example, you sprint 50 yards and then walk 50 yards, and then continue to alternate these work and recovery intervals. Or you pedal at a fast pace on a stationary bike for 30 seconds and then pedal at a slow or moderate pace for 30 seconds, and then continue to alternate these work and recovery intervals.

Interval training causes your metabolism to be elevated for several hours after the workout is over. Your metabolism stays elevated much longer after an interval training workout than after a traditional aerobic workout.

3. Eat breakfast.

Skipping breakfast after a night of fasting (sleeping) results in your body going an extended period of time without food, and this causes your metabolism to slow down as your body tries to conserve energy. Eating a healthy breakfast that consists of some type of lean protein and some type of complex carb will prevent this metabolism slow down.

4. Eat smaller, more frequent meals.

Eating five or six smaller meals or snacks throughout the day will increase your metabolism because of the energy required to digest the meals or snacks. Just make sure that the meals or snacks consist mostly of lean proteins, complex carbs or fibrous vegetables, as these foods require the most energy to digest. Simple carbs and fats require much less energy to digest and don't have the same effect on metabolism.

5. Don't drastically reduce calories.

Going on a very low calorie diet is one of the worst things you can do for your metabolism. Your body reacts to a drastic reduction in calories by going into starvation mode. Once your body is in starvation mode, your metabolism slows down considerably as your body tries to conserve energy.

In conclusion, if you want to speed up a sluggish metabolism, give one or more of these techniques for how to increase metabolism a try.