I don’t know about you, but for me, winter is the time of year when I tend to slow way down. I back off of my regular workouts; I indulge in a few too many extra treats and look forward to being a glutton until January 1st when I will fight all of the other “resolution’ers” at the gym.
I have a feeling that I’m not alone in this, shall we say, holiday tradition so it’s important to consider all of the ways that we can speed up our metabolism and avoid packing on any dreaded extra weight this time of year. It’s all about moderation, right?
Here are a few of my favorite ways to naturally kick my calorie burn into high(er) gear…
1. Pump the fluids
There is no doubt about it: a dehydrated body is out of balance and won’t be flushing fat or firing correctly. Researchers have found that drinking extra water can boost your metabolic rate by as much as 30% (equating to about five pounds per year) and it also prevents the cravings that come along when your body confuses thirst for hunger. Aim to amp your H20 intake by about 1.5 liters per day and you will be sitting very pretty through the entire season. Plus, your skin will thank you for it!
2. Sleep
Did you know that ensuring the appropriate amounts of sleep will not only help you to regulate your blood sugar more quickly and control your appetite, but it can also impact your food choices? (Hello, carbohydrates!) To keep things in harmony, make sure that you are getting plenty of sleep. If that’s not a perfect excuse to tuck yourself in early tonight, I don’t know what is.
3. But first, breakfast
Regular, frequent meals are the key to a happy metabolism – so you can imagine that skipping the most important meal of the day does not set things out on a happy track. Not only does breakfast stave of detrimental cravings later in the day, but it also refuels your body after a night of sleep and supplies your muscles with instant energy. Here are some quick and healthy breakfast ideas you can try tomorrow morning!
4. Protein, please
Whether you take it in bar form, add some whey to your favorite smoothie or you’re a total meat-lover, make it a goal to get nearly half of your daily calories from protein. Start with breakfast (eggs are a great source) then nosh on nuts, hummus, and low-calorie cheese throughout the day. This kind of diet will help you store those extra calories as muscle.
In short, an increased metabolism is the holy grail for those looking to lose weight or stave of weight gain during an extra tempting time of year. Do you think you will implement any of these ideas this holiday season? Let me know in the comments below…
