This post is part of a series called Fitness for Beginners - check out my last post here, if you'd like to see the post explaining my motivation for this series, click here.

Metabolism, the driving engine of your life. Let's take a closer look !

Metabolism is the process of converting calories from food and drinks into energy your body needs. Faster metabolism means a bigger calorie deficit. And a bigger calorie deficit means you can eat more and still stay fit ! LOVELY !!!

There is a lot of information about this matter, but I'll go ahead and keep it simple. I'm going to tell you about the necessities only, only the things you can actively use to reach your goals.

Metabolism hasteners

You can hasten your engine in a ton of ways, most of them actually very easy:

Get bigger !

Your body needs calories to survive and the bigger it is, the more it needs. Every part of your body burns calories - even your fat !! The most effective consumers in your body are your muscles though, so go hit the gym !

For every pound of muscle you gain, you'll burn an extra 6 calories a day, that means if you put on 10 pounds (which is pretty easy if you're an untrained person), you'll burn 5,2 pounds each year, just resting your new muscle ! Also don't forget that exercise also burns calories, so that number is going to be much much higher.

Green tea

My old friend, I've already written about it in my third article, so I'll just quote myself here:

Green tea has almost magical properties -it's loaded with antioxidants, helps your brain function better, it improves physical performance, lowers the risk of cancer, lowers the risk of parkinson and alzheimer down the line, helps your heart, your breath etc. Green tea is probably the healthiest drink in the world - why do you think tea drinking countries have a better longevity ? All that is amazing, but the most important benefit for me was the fat burning increase. Yes, it helps with that too ! You gotta make sure to drink it pure though, no flavors or sugar..

Cheat days

But Dominik, won't eating the foods I love in inhuman portions make me fat ?!
No friend, no it won't. Our bodies are geniuses when it comes to saving as much energy as they can and that sadly means we have to outsmart them. When you're on a diet and restricting calories, trying to lose fat, your body is fighting to stop you - it slows your metabolism, so it doesn't use as much calories as it did and you're left wondering - why am I not losing fat, I'm only eating 3 carrots a day ?!!

The thing is you need to fool your body into thinking you're actually not starving yourself for the sake of looking like a greek god. That's why you need to incorporate a cheat day into every week. A cheat day is a day when you forget your diet and eat everything you've been craving, it helps you stay motivated during the week and boosts your metabolism back up. You should still watch yourself - don't eat 7 pizzas or something crazy like that , you would kinda erase your progress for the whole week. :X Sad, I know...

Hot peppers

Eating hot peppers makes your metabolism go faster, helping you burn more calories, they also help your heart function with ease and help if you have a cold.

Cold water

Drinking cold water will force your body to warm it inside your stomach, which costs calories. Cold showers work similar, your body has to turn up the revs of metabolism to keep warm, that's also why people eat more in winter, your body asks for more food so it can keep warm. Cold showers also boost your immunity system.

Drinking pure water at any temperature helps hasten your metabolism and is of course very healthy for you, helping nutrient transportation, helping your brain function properly etc. Make sure to drink at least 2 litres a day.

Fat burner supplements

I already informed about these in my fifth article, so I'm going to quote myself again:

Fat burners come in various shapes and forms, some work, some don't. Generally, the ones that boost your metabolism and increase your body temperature a tiny bit, work. Some of them can have similar effects to pre-workout supplements.

These were just a few easy ways to hasten your metabolism, there are tonnes more on the internet, always make sure to research first though. :)

Metabolism brakes

Almost everything you do affects your body's engine in some way, there are good effects and there are bad ones, let's talk about the bad ones now:

Drastic diets

People think that if they eat 3 carrots a day, they're going to lose a ton of weight. That is true. BUT your body will slow your metabolism to almost a standstill, which means, when you're done dieting and you start eating normally again, you are going to gain the weight back and probably add some more. Drastic diets also utterly destroy your muscles and your body as a whole. Steer clear of these if you'd like to stay healthy and sane.

Not enough sleep

When you don't sleep enough, you use more energy, which means your body has to save as much as it can - it slows your metabolism. Your body just needs to rest !

Irregular eating habits

Try eating at the same time every day, your body likes regularity and it will reward you with an increase in your metabolism rate. You basically tell your body that it doesn't have to worry about energy, because in exactly 2 hours you're going to feed it.

Drinking alcohol

Alcohol takes a lot work to break down, which means your body has to focus on it and set aside processing everything else you've been putting in your body. Regular drinking also messes with your hormones and internal organs, which slows down everything even more. Booze is bad folks !

Lazy lifestyle

Remember the last time you voluntarily took the stairs instead of the elevator / escalator ? Remember the last time you went for a walk instead of watching TV ? Remember the last time you've actually done a workout ? If you answered no to these questions, stop blaming your body for being fat... IT'S YOUR FAULT.

Conclusion

Always remember that everything is connected, your habits affect your life very much, your body adapts to everything you do. Don't dream of being in great shape, change your life to BE in great shape. You can do it, I believe in you ! :)

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