How to boost your metabolism naturally

Throughout all the wellness tips out there, you have probably heard that you can burn calories without working out and you are probably wondering ‘are there natural ways to boost metabolism and burn fat?’ Your metabolism is what converts what you eat and drink into energy.

Luckily, there are ways how to boost metabolism naturally by making simple adjustments in your daily routine, diet and lifestyle. So let’s go on to learn how to naturally boost your metabolism.

Natural ways to boost your metabolism

1. Get quality sleep

When you sleep, you give your body the proper time to focus on pure rest and recovery. Getting quality sleep is important for every aspect of life, from physical health, to feeling energized and motivated during the day, to mental health, to hormone balance. Balanced hormones are crucial to help you feel your best and avoid releasing too much ghrelin that makes you hungry or leptin that makes you feel full.

2. Move first thing in the morning

How to start your morning can make all the difference in your metabolism. A slow morning where you feel exhausted after poor quality sleep and you don’t get any movement in will have a significantly different effect on your metabolism rather than a morning in which you wake up feeling energized after quality sleep and go for even just a 5-7 minute walk around the block before starting the rest of your day. Being mindful of your morning routine is perhaps the single best way to boost metabolism naturally.

3. Eat enough calories

Many people try to cut calories out of their diet in order to boost their metabolism. But this can actually confuse your metabolism into thinking that it needs to conserve energy and slow down the fat-burning. The key is to eat enough calories (at least leveled at your resting metabolism rate) and to eat consistent meals throughout the day.

4. Listen to your body when it comes to diet

When it comes to diet, there will always be the newest fad and trend out there. But it is important to not get caught up in them and instead focus on listening to your individual body. Everybody is different and perhaps fasting could really help one individual boost their metabolism and it could do the exact opposite and throw another individual's hormones completely out of balance.

Note: If one of the trending lifestyles resonates with you, speak with your doctor before trying any fasting or drastic alteration of your food intake.

5. Get your omega-3’s

Omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish (salmon, tuna, herring), flaxseed, walnuts, and eggs, balance your blood sugar and reduce inflammation. Both of these balances help to regulate your metabolism, giving you a natural boost.

6. Go organic

Nonorganic foods contain pesticides that expose your system to toxins that cause stress on your body and particularly affect your thyroid, a part of your body vital for your metabolism. If you go organic, you take this extra stress off your body and let your system process other things you are naturally exposed to. Your food is something that you can control, so it is worth doing. Your thyroid, metabolism and entire body will thank you!

7. Increase your physical activity

Any type of physical activity can help boost your metabolism. You can walk, clean your house, go to the gym and get in an intense workout, or attend a fitness class for example. While you still burn calories at rest, exercise gives you the boost for your metabolism and is vital for your overall health. It is said that the best exercise to boost your metabolism and burn fat is strength training.

8. Reduce stress

Stress puts extra pressure on your body and some studies have found that it can, in fact, cause the body to metabolize food more slowly. Many people also find that in times of stress, they do not lead with the healthiest of habits such as reaching for unhealthy food options or not being as active, both of which negatively affect a person’s metabolism.

9. Stay hydrated

One of the easiest ways to boost your metabolism is to stay hydrated, especially when you wake up in the morning! Your metabolism slows down when you sleep and if you start your morning off with a glass of water, you rehydrate your body and ‘wake your body and metabolism up’.

10. Drink less alcohol

Alcohol can slow down your metabolic rate if it becomes an integrated part of your lifestyle. This is because an alcoholic beverage takes the entire focus of your body’s ‘breaking down’ process, rather than enabling it to focus on other food and drink that you have digested. If and when you do drink an alcoholic beverage, it is important to pace yourself, drink water between drinks, and be mindful of how much you are consuming.