Whether it is a middle-aged soccer mom, or a young competitive bodybuilder, a goal common among most people in the gym is a faster metabolism. The metabolism controls the basal metabolic rate – or how many calories you burn daily. A high metabolism means we are able to walk around with less body fat, and consume more calories daily while doing so. How can we boost the metabolism? Here are a few tips!
Eat Early, Eat Often.
When we awake in the morning, our bodies haven’t had any calories in 7 to 9 hours. We are in a state of mini-starvation. The metabolism has slowed. It’s important to immediately restore the metabolism to its pre-sleep rate by eating food within 15 minutes of waking. If your appetite is small, have a small snack – just enough to let your body know you’re not facing starvation. Additionally, eat small frequent meals throughout the day to avoid similar mini-fasts of 4 to 5 hours between meals. Try to eat every 3 hours or so.
Drink Water
Need reasons? Your body burns calories when you drink cold water, and water is essential for muscle-building and fat-burning processes. Bodybuilders need ¾ to 1 gallon of water daily, and more if you are spending a lot of time outside or using supplements. Always keep a bottle handy, and sip all day long.
Complete Your Cardio
Many bodybuilders concerned about building muscle will neglect cardio, fearing that it burns too many calories and will eat away at their muscle. While it’s true that excessive cardio will cost you hard-earned muscle, a small amount of cardio (20-30 minutes, 3 to 4 times per week) should always be completed. Not only does it keep your heart and other systems healthy, it keeps your metabolism boosted. We’ve all seen pictures of those bodybuilders whose muscle is hidden under 30 or more pounds of fat. It’s neither healthy nor attractive to wear that much body fat. Including cardio in your off-season training regimen will ensure your metabolism remains elevated year-round. This will allow you to keep adding hard-earned muscle, without adding body fat as well.
As we age, our metabolism will naturally slow. From age 25 on, we’ll see a yearly decline in our BMR. The key to managing this natural decline is to include intelligent eating timing habits, lots of water, and minimal year-round cardio to ensure we keep the metabolism as high as possible – and keep us as healthy and good-looking as possible!