Metabolism is how your body converts the food and liquids you consume into usable energy that powers all the daily biological processes. The faster your metabolism, the more calories you burn. A number of things can slow metabolism, including aging. While it’s not entirely possible to offset the effects of natural aging, there are a number of things you can do to help your body burn more calories each day (even while at rest).
Here’s how to do it.
9 Ways to Boost Metabolism
#1 Add Lean Muscle
One of the most effective ways to boost metabolism is to increase how much lean muscle you have on your body. We’re not saying you need to become the next Mr. or Ms. Olympia, but every pound of lean muscle mass you add requires more energy (calories) to maintain. By adding muscle and strength, you’re not only helping to boost your metabolism, you’re also improving resistance to injury and chances for a longer lifespan.[1]
#2 Get Enough Sleep
We get it -- life is busier and more complicated than ever. It’s no surprise that fewer and fewer individuals are getting adequate sleep each night. Not getting enough sleep reduces motivation to exercise, hampers fat burning, increases protein breakdown, decreases satiety hormones, and increases feelings of hunger. This can lead to stalled weight loss as well as weight gain.
The National Sleep Foundation recommends adults get 7-9 hours of sleep each night.[2]
Prioritizing sleep is key to getting results during your transformation challenge as well as any other athletic endeavor you undertake. To set the stage for better sleep each night, consider some of these options:
- Establish (and adhere to) a consistent bedtime (yep…even on weekends)
- Regular (daily) exercise
- Sunlight exposure within 30-60 minutes of waking
- Restrict caffeine intake after 3PM
- Avoid blue light at least 2 hours before bed
- Limit alcohol before bed
- Establish a bedtime ritual
- Avoid acute stressors before bed
You can also experiment with nighttime relaxation and recovery aids, such as Beauty Dream or Recharge PM. Combined with a healthy lifestyle, our nighttime recovery aids help to reduce feelings of stress, promote calmness, and accelerate the onset of sleep, thereby supporting a healthy metabolism.
#3 Amp Up Workout Intensity
Physical activity in any form helps boost metabolism and increases calorie burning. Increasing the intensity of your workouts (a la interval work or HIIT), not only helps burn more calories during your workout, but for hours afterwards!
#4 Go For a Walk
Building off of the previous point, any type of physical activity is superior to no physical activity. Something as quick and easy as a 10-minute walk one or two times per day can do wonders to increase calorie burning, enhance circulation, and facilitate recovery.
#5 Prioritize Protein
Protein provides the crucial building blocks (amino acids) for muscle repair and growth. Amino acids are also used for hormone production, tissue repair, neurotransmitter synthesis, digestion, and numerous other biological processes.
Protein also happens to be the most thermogenic (and satiating) macronutrient, which means your body expends more energy to digest and utilize protein than carbohydrates or fats while also helping to keep you feeling full and energized (and thus less likely to snack or overeat).
A general rule of thumb for active individuals/fitness enthusiasts is to consume one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight (1g/lb). The best sources of protein include:
- Lean red meat
- Chicken
- Turkey
- Shellfish (shrimp, crawfish, crab, mussels, oysters, etc.)
- Fish (Alaskan salmon, mahi mahi, trout, flounder, etc.)
- Eggs
- Greek yogurt
- Protein powder (whey, vegan protein, egg white protein, etc.)
#6 Hydrate
Roughly 60% of the human body is water, and drinking enough water each day is critical for countless processes, including athletic performance, joint lubrication, oxygen delivery throughout the body, and vital organ support.
In addition to consuming enough water, it’s also important to consume enough electrolytes -- charged minerals that regulate fluid balance, impact muscle contraction/relaxation, support healthy bones, and more.
With temperatures heating up, it’s more important than ever to drink enough fluids each day. Keeping a refillable water bottle or shaker nearby is always a good idea, and for added hydration support, mix in a serving of Her BCAA/EAA or His BCAA/EAA which contains a precise electrolyte complex along with essential amino acids to support hydration, muscle recovery and performance.
#7 Drink Coffee and/or Tea
Both coffee and tea have been consumed for centuries. They both contain caffeine as well as numerous antioxidants that offer multiple benefits, including (but not limited to) boosting energy, reducing appetite, increasing metabolism, bolstering defense against free radicals & oxidative stress, and enhancing physical activity levels.[3]
Coffee and tea are also low in calories (provided you don’t adulterate them with loads of sugar and creamer), which make either a great addition to your diet.
#8 Spice Up Your Diet
Capsaicin, the tongue-tingling compound in chile peppers, isn’t just for igniting your tastebuds, it’s also been found to increase energy expenditure and improve exercise performance.[4,5] Adding some chile peppers to your meals is one way to up your capsaicin intake, but some individuals don’t enjoy the heat that hot peppers deliver. 1UP Make Her Lean Max and Pro Ripped Max include the premium and patented capsaicin extract CapsiMax which delivers the benefits of capsaicin without the discomfort and GI distress of eating peppers.
#9 Cut Down on Liquid Calories
Calorie-containing beverages (alcohol, milkshakes, cold-pressed juices, gourmet coffees, etc.) are delicious…and they’re also chock-full of “empty calories.” In addition to the fact that these beverages increase your daily calorie intake (without offering much in the way of satiety or muscle recovery), they can also hamper your body’s ability to burn fat for fuel.
The bottom line here is that if you want to enjoy these kinds of drinks, do it in moderation, and make sure to account for the calories. An easy way to do this is in the 1UP Fitness App, which makes tracking macros more accessible and quicker than ever! In addition to staying on track with your nutrition goals, our fitness app also provides customized training programs (gym/home) based on your fitness level, 1-on-1 coaching, live Q&A's, daily motivation and inspiration to help you achieve your best results ever!
References
- Srikanthan P, Karlamangla AS. Muscle mass index as a predictor of longevity in older adults. Am J Med. 2014 Jun;127(6):547-53. doi: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2014.02.007. Epub 2014 Feb 18. PMID: 24561114; PMCID: PMC4035379.
- Hirshkowitz, M., Whiton, K., Albert, S. M., Alessi, C., Bruni, O., DonCarlos, L., Hazen, N., Herman, J., Adams Hillard, P. J., Katz, E. S., Kheirandish-Gozal, L., Neubauer, D. N., O’Donnell, A. E., Ohayon, M., Peever, J., Rawding, R., Sachdeva, R. C., Setters, B., Vitiello, M. V, & Ware, J. C. (2015). National Sleep Foundation 2019 updated sleep duration recommendations: final report. Sleep Health: Journal of the National Sleep Foundation, 1(4), 233–243. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2015.10.004
- Torquati L, Peeters G, Brown WJ, Skinner TL. A Daily Cup of Tea or Coffee May Keep You Moving: Association between Tea and Coffee Consumption and Physical Activity. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2018 Aug 22;15(9):1812. doi: 10.3390/ijerph15091812. PMID: 30135386; PMCID: PMC6163361.
- Giuriato G, Venturelli M, Matias A, Soares EMKVK, Gaetgens J, Frederick KA, Ives SJ. Capsaicin and Its Effect on Exercise Performance, Fatigue and Inflammation after Exercise. Nutrients. 2022 Jan 6;14(2):232. doi: 10.3390/nu14020232. PMID: 35057413; PMCID: PMC8778706.
- de Freitas MC, Billaut F, Panissa VLG, Rossi FE, Figueiredo C, Caperuto EC, Lira FS. Capsaicin supplementation increases time to exhaustion in high-intensity intermittent exercise without modifying metabolic responses in physically active men. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2019 Apr;119(4):971-979. doi: 10.1007/s00421-019-04086-w. Epub 2019 Feb 8. PMID: 30737555.
