5 Ways to Quickly Boost Your Metabolism That Don’t Include Exercise
Table of contents
- Drink warm water with lemon when you wake up
- Eat a healthy breakfast
- Sip green tea throughout the day
- Don't cut calories
- Get enough sleep
- Related content
Your metabolism may not be completely under your control, but there are definitely ways you can help rev it up each day simply by incorporating a few healthy habits. The key is to integrate them one at a time into your day-to-day ritual until they just come naturally, rather than trying to overhaul your entire routine at once.
Exercise is always encouraged to help boost your metabolism, but if you can’t seem to find time to hit the gym, you can at least start with these easy tricks. If you’re having concerns about your own metabolism or energy levels, feel free to check out EverlyWell's Metabolism Test!
(1) Drink warm water with lemon when you wake up
Ever wake up feeling groggy and unsure how to start your day? Try making it a habit to drink warm lemon water as soon as you wake up. Not a fan of the taste? Try adding raw honey to sweeten up the sour lemon.
(2) Eat a healthy breakfast
If you’re the type to skip breakfast, you may want to rethink your morning routine. Skipping meals is frowned upon for pretty much all health aspects, but it has been proven to slow down your metabolism. Want to get the most out of your breakfast? Start the day with some protein! Try whole omega-3 eggs, a protein shake, nut butters or even kippers. Skip the starch or sugar (muffins, bagels and donuts)–those aren’t doing you any favors.
(3) Sip green tea throughout the day
We all know green tea has plenty of benefits, but for this purpose, it has an antioxidant called catechin which can help crank up your metabolism! If you can, try drinking green tea throughout your day to get the most from it. One cup is usually not be enough to produce the effect of a faster metabolism, and research suggests that multiple cups per day are required (as many as five or more). Sounds like a lot of tea, but you can also drink it iced to switch things up.
Don't cut calories
People think in order to lose weight, they need to stop eating as much. Not true! When you cut out too many calories, your metabolism puts a halt on fat-burning to conserve energy. Instead of eating less and skipping meals, try to just eat smarter. Incorporate more of these foods into your daily diet: avocados, peppers, whole-fat yogurt, and anything with a good amount of protein such as lean meats, fish, poultry, eggs and beans. Stay away from foods with trans fats, for those will be your downfall.
Get enough sleep
Is it just us, or is sleep highly underrated these days? With the everyday stress of having to juggle work, taking care of family, maintaining a social life, maybe squeezing in some exercise every now and again (if you’re lucky), sleep can get pushed to the back-burner. Many people don’t realize that being sleep-deprived can actually wreak havoc on your metabolism, so those precious 7 to 8 hours of adequate sleep every night will definitely pay off in the long run. Try creating the habit of going to bed at least 15 minutes earlier each week. It may not be easy, but your body will thank you.
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