A fast metabolism is the key to maintaining a healthy weight and having plenty of energy. Unfortunately, many people struggle with a sluggish metabolism that makes losing weight difficult. The good news is that there are many ways to give your metabolism a boost. In this comprehensive guide, we will explore 25 science-backed strategies for increasing your metabolic rate.
What is Metabolism?
Before diving into ways to improve metabolism, it’s important to understand what metabolism is.
Metabolism refers to all of the chemical reactions that happen inside your body to keep you alive and your organs functioning properly. These processes allow your body to get energy from food and use that energy to complete essential jobs.
Your metabolism consists of three main components:
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
Your basal metabolic rate accounts for 50-75% of the calories you burn each day. This represents the number of calories your body needs for basic physiological functions like breathing, circulating blood, regulating body temperature, and tissue repair.
People with faster basal metabolic rates tend to burn more calories at rest.
Physical Activity
The energy you use when moving your body makes up 15-30% of your metabolism. This includes planned exercise as well as incidental movement like fidgeting and walking from place to place.
Thermic Effect of Food
Digesting, absorbing, transporting, and storing the nutrients in your meals makes up around 10% of your calorie burn each day. This is sometimes called diet-induced thermogenesis.
Eating protein-rich foods will boost this number slightly, as protein requires the most energy to break down compared to carbs or fat.
Altogether, these processes determine the number of calories your body requires and uses per day. Having an efficient metabolism allows your body to burn calories at a rate that supports health.
Now that we’ve covered the meaning of metabolism, let’s discuss 25 ways to give your metabolic rate an upgrade.
25 Science-Backed Ways to Boost Your Metabolism
1. Incorporate More Protein
Protein is incredibly important for boosting metabolism.
Your body burns through about 20-35% of protein calories just digesting and absorbing these nutrients.
Compared to carbs and fat, protein has the highest thermic effect. Consuming protein boosts your metabolic rate more than consuming an equal number of calories from other sources.
In one study, people who ate a high-protein diet burned 260 more calories per day compared to those who ate a moderate-protein diet. This effect is amplified when combining a high protein intake with strength training.
Aim to eat 0.5-1 gram of protein per pound of body weight (1-2 grams per kg) each day. Excellent protein sources include meat, fish, eggs, dairy, and legumes.
Prioritizing protein is one of the best things you can do if you want to speed up your metabolism.
2. Practice Strength Training
Strength training is any type of exercise that increases muscle mass and strength. Examples include weightlifting and bodyweight workouts with squats, lunges, and push-ups.
Building muscle bulk boosts your resting metabolic rate. This means you will burn more calories per day, even at rest.
One review found that doing strength training for three months led to an average 7.7% increase in resting metabolic rate, allowing people to burn around 200 extra calories per day. The effect was largest in individuals who gained the most muscle.
Aim for at least two strength sessions per week. Focus on major muscle groups like legs, back, and chest, and allow at least 48 hours between sessions for muscles to recover.
3. Add Cardio to Your Routine
Cardiovascular or aerobic exercise includes activities that get your heart rate pumping like jogging, biking, and interval training.
Doing cardio consistently is excellent for speeding up metabolism by building extra muscle mass. One study showed that cardio led to four extra pounds (two kg) of muscle over 10 weeks in young adults.
In addition to increasing muscle, cardio helps burn calories quickly in the moment. The exact number varies widely based on the activity, your size, and how vigorously you exercise.
Aim for 150-300 minutes of moderate cardio or 75-150 minutes of vigorous cardio per week in combination with strength training for best results. Going above 300 minutes doesn’t seem to provide additional metabolic benefits.
4. Drink More Cold Water
Staying well hydrated by drinking plenty of water is important for health. Interestingly, downing more cold water may also temporarily speed up your metabolism.
Research shows that drinking 17 ounces (500 mL) of cold water can briefly increase resting calorie burn by up to 30% within 10 minutes. This translates to burning an extra 24 calories.
The effect may be augmented by drinking cold water with meals or by doing strength training afterward, possibly because these factors mildly stress the body.
Aim to drink water when thirsty and include a glass with each meal. Adding several daily glasses of cold water is an easy metabolism booster.
5. Have More Protein-Rich Meals
Eating protein-rich meals spaced evenly throughout the day offers multiple metabolism and muscle-boosting benefits:
Downing at least 30-40 grams of protein with each meal maintains muscle when losing weight and keeps your metabolism revving fast even while dieting.
Eating several protein-packed meals daily helps build muscle to speed up resting calorie burn.
Consuming protein at every meal takes advantage of the thermic effect and gives your metabolism an uptick with each bite.
To reap these benefits, incorporate tasty protein foods like eggs, nuts, or fish at breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
6. Add Spices to Your Meals
Sprinkling meals with metabolism-boosting spices is an easy way to burn extra calories and speed up your metabolism.
Certain spices like cayenne pepper, turmeric, cinnamon, and ginger have impressive health benefits and may ramp up calorie burn by increasing body heat production after meals, a process known as diet-induced thermogenesis.
What’s more, regularly using these spices may help reduce snacking between meals (14).
Aim to flavor meals with metabolism-boosting spices daily or several times weekly. Hot and sweet varieties are especially effective.
7. Have a Cup of Coffee
Enjoying some coffee first thing in the morning may help fire up your metabolism for the day.
Drinking coffee has been shown to significantly increase the number of calories burned within three hours by an impressive 3-13%.
This effect is associated with caffeine, which stimulates your nervous system and signals fat cells to break down body fat. Fortunately, decaffeinated coffee may have similar metabolism-boosting effects.
However, those with high blood pressure or anxiety disorders may want to moderate their intake.
8. Get Moving After Eating
Going for a walk after eating helps speed up digestion and nutrient absorption to spark your metabolism.
Low-intensity movement like casual walking, stretching, or household tasks prevents blood sugar spikes after meals. One study found walking after eating lowered blood sugar more than stretching.
What’s more, doing some form of activity after eating helps muscles better absorb meal nutrients (18).
Aim for a 10-15 minute walk or another form of light activity after larger meals like breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Even brief movement helps optimize and boost metabolism.
9. Incorporate Circuit Training
Circuit training cycles between short bursts of cardio and strength work to keep your heart rate sky-high. This workout style is excellent for blasting calories to ramp up your metabolism.
Studies show that circuit-style training burns about 10-25% more calories per workout than a typical cardio routine. It also builds muscle, allowing for greater long-term fat burn.
Aim to cycle between 6-10 strength moves with little rest between exercises to keep your heart pumping. Shoot for at least 30 minutes of circuit training 1-3 times weekly.
10. Limit Refined Carbs
Refined carbs like cereal, white bread, soda, and desserts cause blood sugar spikes and crashes. Over time, eating too many can slow metabolism.
In one study, obese individuals eating the same number of calories lost more weight with a low glycemic diet versus a standard reduced-calorie diet, indicating a faster metabolism from regulating blood sugar.
Skipping refined grains may also signal your body to preferentially burn fat over carbs for fuel while at rest, called increased fat oxidation.
Limit refined grains and added sugars to 25-50 grams daily as part of a balanced diet to keep your metabolism revving.
11. Don’t Go Long Periods Without Eating
Going long periods without food slows your metabolism over time. Limiting food intake triggers survival mode and decreases the calories you burn.
Skipping meals for over 24 hours can slow metabolic rate and increase hunger hormones, often resulting in overeating later on
On the flip side, those who consume meals more frequently burn more calories overall compared to infrequent eaters.
For best results, eat something with protein and fiber every three to four hours. Set a reminder if.
12. Follow a Regular Eating Schedule
Beyond just eating frequently, maintaining a regular daily meal schedule may help lock in higher calorie burn.
Studies indicate that having consistent meal times better synchronizes your metabolism, leads to less fat storage, and reduces hunger. One study tied this to lowered obesity risk.
Aim to space your breakfast, lunch, and dinner about 4-5 hours apart for optimal metabolic effects.
13. Increase Your Calcium Intake to boost metabolism
Calcium is important for overall health, but it may also help release stored body fat and rev up your metabolism.
Studies show that higher calcium intake from dairy foods like milk, yogurt, and cheese correlates to faster fat burn, especially in individuals following calorie-restricted diets.
Experts hypothesize calcium may signal fat cells to release stored fatty acids to be burned for energy in your cells. However, exercise likely maximizes these effects.
Aim for 2-3 servings of dairy daily as part of a healthy diet. Each serving counts for about 300 mg of calcium.
14. Eat More Low-Energy-Dense Foods
Low energy-dense foods are those that provide few calories relative to their serving size. Examples include fruits, vegetables, broth-based soups, beans, and lean meats.
Consuming more low-energy-dense foods is an effective way to lose weight while eating satisfying portions. Eating them may also boost metabolism.
That’s because these foods tend to be high in fiber and protein. As discussed earlier, these nutrients require lots of energy for your body to digest and use, so you burn more calories by eating them.
Try basing meals around low-energy-dense foods metabolism boost.
15. Add Probiotics and Fermented Foods to Boost Metabolism
Probiotics are beneficial to gut bacteria tied to health benefits like improved immunity, heart health, and weight control.
Certain strains may also lend a metabolism boost. One study tied a multi-strain probiotic supplement to burning an extra 179 calories over three months without any other diet or lifestyle changes.
You can add probiotics through both supplements and fermented probiotic-rich foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut and kimchi.
Aim for a daily serving of fermented foods or 5-15 billion colony-forming units from a quality probiotic supplement twice per day.
16. Stay Well Rested with Quality Sleep
Lack of quality sleep can throw hunger hormones out of balance. This drives up appetite and slows metabolism, leading to weight gain over time.
One study found just one week of short-term sleep restriction increased calorie intake by up to 500 calories per day, indicating a slower metabolism.
Getting the 7-9 hours of sleep per night you need allows to boost metabolism and hunger-regulating hormones to optimize.
17. Reduce Stress Levels
Chronic stress exposure can keep levels of the hormone cortisol constantly elevated. Having persistently high cortisol stimulates hunger and promotes fat storage around your midsection.
Making time for relaxing activities allows cortisol to dip back to normal cycles, which may aid metabolism and weight control efforts.
Aim for at least 30-60 minutes of relaxation like yoga, meditation, massage, or reading daily to relieve stress.
18. Consume Plenty of Iron-Rich Foods
Iron is critical for transporting oxygen in red blood cells to fuel your body with energy for metabolism.
Low levels are tied to impaired thyroid function, sluggish metabolism, and poor workout performance. Women need 18 mg of iron daily, while men only require 8 mg.
The best food sources include meat, organ meats like liver, seafood, nuts, legumes, spinach, and fortified grain products. Choose a vitamin C source like citrus to aid absorption.
19. Stay Accountable with Self-Monitoring
Logging details like food intake, mood, and exercise in a journal or app helps you stay focused on your health goals. People who self-monitor progress tend to be more successful at losing weight and keeping it off long-term.
In one study, consistent monitoring helped increase and boost metabolism by preventing impulsive eating, reducing portion sizes, and limiting weekly cheat meals.
Consider regularly tracking habits a few times weekly or more to accelerate your results.
20. Incorporate Metabolism-Boosting Supplements
Certain supplements may also give your metabolism an extra kick when combined with a healthy diet and active lifestyle:
- Green tea extract: Boosts fat breakdown and offers antioxidants.
- Ginseng: Lowers blood sugar and increases resting metabolic rate
- Caffeine: Increases calorie burn by up to 11% temporarily
- Cayenne pepper: Signals fat breakdown and increases body heat production
- Avoid spending money on “metabolism miracle” products with outlandish claims not backed by science.
21. Practice Mindful Eating
- Mindful eating helps increase awareness of internal hunger and fullness cues to prevent overeating.
- It also makes you more attentive to flavors, textures, and nutrition when eating to promote satisfaction.
- Studies indicate mindful eating may optimize metabolism by reducing stress hormones, decreasing hunger, and limiting portions.
- Aim to tune in to signals of hunger and fullness by eating slowly without distraction several times per week.
22. Incorporate Metabolic Bodyweight Workouts
Certain types of exercise can rev up your metabolism for hours after you leave the gym. Combining intense cardio bursts with strength training torches calories even while at rest.
Challenging bodyweight workouts use your weight as resistance to simultaneously build muscle and strengthen your cardiovascular system.
Aim to incorporate metabolic bodyweight circuits or high-intensity interval training (HIIT) 1-3 times per week for best results.
23. Stay Hydrated
Maintaining proper hydration allows your body to optimally utilize stored carbohydrates and fat for energy. Even mild dehydration slows metabolism by up to 3%.
Drinking cold water is best, as this forces your system to warm it up to body temperature, burning extra calories.
Strive for around two liters of total fluid intake daily and sip some water before meals to feel full faster as well.
24. Set an Earlier Bedtime
- Burning the midnight oil can negatively impact health markers tied to obesity over time.
- One study found just five days of insufficient sleep increased hunger hormones that drive appetite up to a whopping 24% (51).
- Getting the solid seven to nine hours of shut-eye you need allows metabolism and hunger-regulating hormones to balance for optimal health.
- Set an alarm to help you get into bed earlier each night. You’ll wake up rested and ready to power through your day.
25. Stand More During Your Day
Trading hours of sitting for standing slows unhealthy dips in metabolism and keeps you burning extra calories around the clock.
Studies show standing just three hours total per day can torch up to 750 calories weekly without any additional activity.
Set a timer or fitness tracker to remind you to take a standing or walking break every 30-60 minutes when possible. Over time this can make a dent in your daily calorie balance.
The Bottom Line
A faster method to boost metabolism helps you burn more calories each day with minimal effort. Luckily, small daily habit changes give your metabolic rate a major boost.
Making shifts like eating more protein, trying new training techniques, and refueling properly primes your body to shed fat.
Commit to a combination of 8-12 of the strategies in this article for 1-2 months to kick-start a slimmer, healthier, and happier you this year.
