The word ‘metabolism’ can be used to describe your basal metabolic rate. That is the number of calories you burn at rest to support vital functions such as heart rate, breathing, and the circulatory system.
It is also used to refer to all the biochemical reactions in your body. This refers to the conversion of nutrients from the foods you eat into energy, also called thermogenesis.
Various factors influence your metabolic rate: age, sex, height, and body composition. As we age, it tends to slow down.
Worth noting, a slow metabolism can be caused by too little muscle mass. That’s because muscle is what burns the most energy at rest, unlike fat mass.
I’m sharing with you the best strategies to boost your metabolism. With certain foods and lifestyle habits, you can manage your weight—stabilize it or lose weight depending on your goals. And of course, improve your overall health.
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1. Stay well hydrated: water, teas, and coffee
Besides being essential for the body, water contributes to the activation of metabolism. Drinking enough water has a brief but meaningful effect. About 2 L of water per day is recommended, varying according to your weight (and your metabolism, too!).
Other beverages can specifically boost metabolism, such as coffee. The caffeine it contains slightly improves, depending on individual tolerance, physical performance and helps the body use fats more effectively to produce energy, as suggested by this study.
I particularly recommend green tea, rich in catechins and theine, matcha or oolong.
According to this study, these three teas may help burn stored fat more effectively. Consume 1 to 3 cups per day, combined with a balanced diet and exercise.
2. Eat protein at every meal
Eating can temporarily increase your metabolism, and this can last for a few hours. This is called the thermic effect of food (or TEF).
The body expends extra calories needed for digestion, absorption and processing of the nutrients in your meal.
Of all nutrients, proteins are the most demanding. The body mobilizes 15 to 30% of their usable calories, compared with 5 to 10% for carbohydrates and less than 3% for fats.
Eating more protein can also help prevent a slowdown in metabolism by preserving the muscle mass they promote. During a weight-loss diet, they improve fat loss.
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3. Eat spicy foods
Ginger or even chili pepper have beneficial properties to boost metabolism. They are considered thermogenic foods.
For example, if you pour 2 g of ginger powder into 1 glass of hot water and drink it during a meal, you can burn up to 43 extra calories.
As for the capsaicin found in chili peppers, this study concluded that it may reduce appetite and food intake by decreasing carbohydrate absorption during meals.
A slimming tip that I give my patients whose goal is to lose weight: add 1 to 2 pinches of cayenne pepper or green jalapeños for those who are more sensitive, and fresh or powdered ginger to your dishes.
4. Get enough sleep
Lack of sleep can promote obesity and disrupt the body by affecting ghrelin levels, the hunger hormone, and leptin, which regulates satiety.
The night allows the body to regenerate, produce hormones and even detoxify itself with the liver’s nighttime work. Disrupting one’s biological clock tends to slow down metabolic functions, and this happens after as few as four bad nights according to these observations.
Sleeping well therefore helps reduce the number of calories consumed during the day and boosts daytime metabolism. My advice: prioritize good restorative nights as much as possible! Some foods can also help you sleep better.
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5. Adopt HIIT to burn more calories
HiiT, high-intensity interval training, involves short and very intense periods of activity.
It’s a perfect compromise between the two main types of exercise: aerobic, with oxygen, and anaerobic, without oxygen. Consequently, it leads to a high calorie expenditure.
This study suggests that it could increase metabolism for several hours even after exercise. HiiT would also be more effective at losing fat than a traditional cardio session. Ideally, in my opinion, vary your workouts so you don’t get bored.
6. Lift heavy weights
Because muscle is more metabolically active than fat, strength training is part of health recommendations. And, indeed, it stimulates the basal metabolic rate.
The WHO recommends doing strength training exercises at least twice a week of moderate to high intensity, for muscle strength and volume as well as bone density.
If you want to lose weight, you can do cardio and strength training exercises several times a week.
7. Stand up more often
Sitting for too long can have negative effects on health, partly due to the lack of energy expended that can lead to weight gain.
This study conducted in 2018 found that standing or moving at work was associated with a decrease in cardiovascular risk. It was also associated with lower weight, body fat, waist circumference, blood pressure, triglycerides, and insulin.
It also showed that moving rather than simply standing produced even better results.
If you work sitting down, stand up once an hour for about 5 minutes. You can also use breaks to walk during the day. Or invest in a Swiss ball to alternate postures with a regular chair.
8. Consume MCTs to reduce fat storage
The medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), which are mainly found in coconut oil and palm oil, are a particular type of fat.
Unlike long-chain triglycerides, MCTs are rapidly absorbed by the body and directed to the liver. There, they are used as an immediate energy source or converted into ketones.
Their modest fat-burning effect may be useful for promoting metabolic activity. However, they should not replace daily olive oil or sources of omega-3s.
Like any fat, I recommend using them in reasonable amounts. A tip: add 1 teaspoon of coconut oil for cooking your vegetable sautés. Or to flavor your homemade pastries.
My final tip for taking care of your metabolism is to choose a holistic, gradual approach. Every small change contributes to your well-being; there is no single miracle cure.
Sources and scientific studies
Daniel Collado-Mateo, Ana Myriam Lavín-Pérez, Eugenio Merellano-Navarro, Juan Del Coso – Effect of Acute Caffeine Intake on the Fat Oxidation Rate during Exercise – Nutrients, 2020
R Hursel, M S Westerterp-Plantenga – Thermogenic ingredients and body weight regulation – Int J obes, 2010
Pardis Irandoost, Neda L.Yagin, Nazli Namazi , Abbasali Keshtkar, Farnaz Farsi, Naimeh M.Alamdari, M.V – The effect of Capsaicinoids or Capsinoids in red pepper on thermogenesis in healthy adults, 2021
Kelly M.Ness, Stephen M.Strayer, Nicole G.Nahmod, Margeaux M.S, A-M Chang, Gregory C.Shearer, Orfeu M.Buxton – Four nights of sleep restriction suppress the postprandial lipemic response and decrease satiety – 2019
M Wewege, R V.D.B, R E Ward, A Keech – The effects of high-intensity interval training vs. moderate-intensity continuous training on body composition in overweight and obese adults – Obes. Rev, 2017
Elisabeth A. H. Winkler, Sebastien Chastin, Elizabeth G.Eakin, Neville Owen, Anthony D.Lamontagne, Marj Moodie, Paddy C.Dempsey, Bronwyn A.Kingwell, David W.Dunstan and Genevieve N.Healy – Cardiometabolic impact of changing sitting, standing, and stepping in the workplace, 2018
Karen Mumme, Welma Stonehouse – Effects of medium-chain triglycerides on weight loss and body composition – J. Ac. Notre Diet, 2015
