You may have seen some people who gorge on food unabashedly, but their physique remains thin as a stick. Such people burn calories like a SUV burns gas. However, the rest of us are like Volkswagen beetles, burning calories slowly and steadily. If you wish to increase your metabolism rate, read more to learn a few useful tips.
Calories are burnt by the body in three ways: Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR), the thermic effect of food and activity.
Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR)
Your body burns calories to keep your cell functions, heart and brain working. RMR makes up about 60 percent of one’s metabolism. It is affected by genes, gender and age, which are beyond one’s control. However, one can still maintain and boost one’s RMR even as one ages, by preserving muscle mass.
The Thermic Effect of Food
One burns between 50 to 200 calories each day simply to digest and process the food one eats. This makes up five percent of one’s total calorie burn.
Activity
All your activities, even typing on a keyboard, or walking to retrieve your mail, burn calories. In fact, activities cause up to 35 percent of one’s daily caloric burn.
After the crash course in Metabolism 101, read on to learn about sure-fire ways to burn more calories.
Drink Green Tea
Research reveals that drinking about four cups of green tea in a day, can boost your metabolism. This is because green tea has a phytochemical named ECGC, which speeds up calorie burn. But, do not take supplements, sip the real tea for real benefits.
Enjoy Spice
Hot peppers such as serrano and jalapeno peppers can pep up your calorie burn. So, add two to three grams of your favorite pepper to add spice to your meals, and also to burn more calories.
Take More Protein
The digestive system has to work harder to digest proteins, which raises caloric burn. However, don’t move to a high-protein diet, since runners require carbohydrates to supply muscle fuel. But, don’t forget to include low-fat protein in every meal to boost caloric burn.
