If you have ever thought about losing weight naturally, there is a great chance that you have heard something about boosting your metabolism. That is because when you have a higher metabolism, your body is naturally going to burn more fat, meaning that you will also lose more weight. With that beings said, there are many people who are still curious if the whole idea of boosting your metabolism is a real thing when it comes to losing weight. Here is everything that you will need to know about your metabolism and its effects on your weight loss.
What does Your Metabolism Actually Do?
In case you are not aware of what your metabolism is or does, it is going to be the process that your body is going to use in order to create energy from the foods that you eat. While it may not sound very special initially, your metabolism is actually going to be responsible for your ability to think, breathe, circulate blood, digest, and even keep warm when you are in cold weather, or do the opposite which is staying cool in warm weather.
When it comes to your metabolism, it is actually a very common belief that when you are able to raise your metabolism, it is going to help you burn more calories, as well as help you enhance your weight loss efforts. Unfortunately, there just happens to be many more myths floating around than there are realities when it comes to boosting your metabolism. With that being said, here are some of the more popular metabolism boosting myths that many people believe to be true.
Myth #1: Exercise is Going to Boost Your Metabolism After Your Workout is Over
There is no denying the fact that you are going to burn many more calories when you incorporate a regular exercise routine, this being especially true when you are able to boost your heart rate through activities like swimming or riding a bike.
This increase in the number of calories that you burn is going to last as long as your workout is going to last. While you do have the potential to continue burning calories for up to an hour or so after you have finished your workout, all of the aftereffects of our exercise are going to stop there. What that means is that once you are done moving, your metabolism is going to back to its resting rate. However, if you are thinking that you should load up on extra calories right after you have had a great workout, that is actually a very bad idea. This entire though process that you can eat whatever you want, and your body will burn it off as you just got done working out is not true at all.
So, what are you to do to make sure that you don’t gain any weight? Well, for starters you should start exercising and eating all the healthy foods that you should already be eating. Just remember that you should never let any type of exercise give you any type of excuse to not exercise or overindulge in any type of extra high-calorie foods or drinks.
Myth #2: Add More Muscle to Lose More Weight
It has been scientifically proven that muscle is going to burn many more calories than fat. What this means is that if you are able to build more muscle, you will actually be able to boost your metabolism to burn more fat. This includes even the smallest change in your body composition. While most regular exercise is going to boost your muscle mass by a few pounds at most, it is not going to really be a big enough difference to really impact the number of calories that you are going to burn. On top of that, when your muscles are not being used, they are really not going to be doing a whole lot other than slowly burning calories. What this means is that your brain, kidneys, heart, lungs, and liver are going to be using most of your metabolism.
In order to fix this, you are going to want to start lifting heavy weights, which will help you to boost your bone strength, as well as your muscle mass. This means that you will need to start making strength training a regular part of your workout routine. Also, you are going to need to an activity that will help get your heart pumping. And if you are serious about losing weight, you are going to want to start eating a healthy diet.
Myth #3: If you Eat Certain Foods, it Will Boost Your Metabolism
It is a very common belief that when you eat certain foods like caffeine, hot chili peppers, or green tea, that it will actually aid you in boosting your metabolism, which will then help you to burn more calories. While there are some foods that are available which will help you to slightly boost your metabolism, it is not going to be a big enough boost to make any kind of difference that you will be able to notice. This means that drinking eight cups of green tea per day isn’t going to help you lose weight any faster.
What you should do instead if you are looking to lose weight through diet, is to pick out some of the foods that you enjoy the taste of and are also full of the good nutrition that your body craves and requires. Try to eat a wider variety of different foods that are going to help you fill up faster, but without helping to fill you out.
Myth #4: Boost Your Metabolism with Smaller Meals Throughout the Day
If you have ever spoken with anybody trying to lose weight through their diet, they are more than likely going to tell you about how eating smaller meals throughout the day will help to keep your body in ‘fat burning mode’, when compared to the more traditional breakfast, lunch and dinner. Unfortunately, there is actually no real scientific evidence to suggest that this is actually true.
Yes, when you spread your meals out into smaller ‘snack’ sized feedings throughout your day it will help you to feel full for a longer period of time and even prevent you from overeating, don’t expect it to help you lose any kind of significant weight. In fact, studies have found that at the end of the day, the number of calories that you eat is going to be the number of calories that you have eaten during the day. This means that whether you eat all of your calories in one meal or decide to spread them out into 12 meals throughout the day, it is going to have the same ultimate effect on your weight loss.
This means that the best thing that you can do is to simply pay attention to when you get hungry. When you feel hungry, eat. You can even keep track of all the different times you eat and what you are eating. This will help you to limit the number of high-sugar snacks and any high-fat foods that you may be craving.
Myth #5: When You Get a Full Night of Sleep, it is Great for Your Metabolism
When you allow your body to fully recharge by getting an entire night of good sleep, you are not actually going to be boosting your metabolism in any way at all. However, if you are constantly going without getting the proper amount of sleep, it can actually cause you to add on some extra weight. When you are sleep deprived, you are more than likely going to eat more calories than you need to throughout the day. While the reason for this is not known, it is thought to happen in order to deal with the feeling of being tired.
An easy cure for this is to start planning out your days and your time so that you are allotting yourself some time for sleep. If you are having trouble sleeping, try to find different ways that you are able to unwind before going to bed, and you can even make your bedroom more comfortable for sleeping. If nothing else, be sure that you are talking with your health care provider, as they will be able to help diagnose the reason you are having trouble getting a good night’s sleep and then recommend the proper steps on how to fix it.
When it comes to boosting your metabolism through natural means, there are many more myths than ways that will actually work. But if you are able to navigate through all of the wrong information that is floating around, you will then be able to start making the adjustments that you need to in order to really boost your metabolism through all-natural means. While it may be somewhat of an adjustment in the beginning, as soon as you get used to these natural ways to boost your metabolism, you will have no problem making them part of your regular daily routine.
