How to Boost Your Metabolism

By March 12, 2018No Comments

There are all kinds of products and supplements claiming they will “boost your metabolism” but those are rarely efficacious, and the ones that do work are often not legal and have significant long-term health concerns.

When most people refer to “metabolism” they think of total daily energy expenditure (TDEE), or simply put, how many calories you burn in any given day. Our understanding of what constitutes and what factors influence our TDEE is constantly evolving, but based on our current scientific understanding, there are 4 big factors that dictate your daily energy needs: resting metabolic rate (RMR), the thermic effect of feeding (TEF), non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) and calories burned during formal physical activity.

Based on these components, we can outline the characteristics of a “fast” metabolism: higher resting metabolic rate and /or lots of spontaneous physical activity and/or lots of exercising during the day.

There is obviously a genetic component to this, as some people have a higher proclivity to spontaneously move throughout the day (these are the people who just can’t seem to be able to sit still), but most of these factors can be consciously influenced.

One component of resting metabolic rate is how much muscle mass you have. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn at rest and while moving, so while the difference isn’t huge, adding more muscle to your frame is one way to increase your metabolism, aside from all the countless other health benefits it offers.

The other ways are simply moving more each day (like trying to hit a specific step count, for example) and/or doing more exercise. Unfortunately, there isn’t any “shortcut” when it comes to increasing your metabolism, and short of genetic predispositions, you will have to simply do more stuff each day to earn eating more food without gaining weight.



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