There are tons of listacles out there giving tips on what to do to lose weight, get fit, increase your metabolism, etc. Most of the time, you’ve probably heard a good number of the suggestions; and this Yahoo! Health article entitled “25 Things You Did Today That Ruined Your Metabolism” is really no different. However, there are a few tips that surprised us and we thought useful to share.
While we wouldn’t expect anyone to follow all the advice all the time, being informed of the consequences of your actions is what FM is all about. And even if you can just change a couple of things based on this list, it’s better than nothing!
Hydrate in the morning
One of the best and cheapest ways to give your metabolism a jolt is to drink water (the suggestion is 20 to 32 ounces) shortly after waking. Why? During sleep, your body’s metabolic function slowed, and unless you woke up in the middle of the night to swig some water, it didn’t receive any fluids. The article suggests completely rehydrating before stressing your body with any other food or drink. And it might be best to drink filtered water. Drinking fluoridated and chlorinated water supplies have been linked to dysfunction in metabolic processes — both chemicals interfere with normal thyroid function.
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Don’t just use sea salt
Sea salt has cachet, but what it doesn’t have is iodine, a key element that gives your thyroid gland what it needs to get the job done. The thyroid gland helps to regulate your metabolism. If you don’t have enough iodine, it’s unable to produce thyroid hormones, and your metabolism can grind to a screeching halt. Most table salt is iodized; just a half-teaspoon will provide 100% of your RDA for iodine. You can also eat seaweed, cod, shrimp, and eggs, all of which are great sources of iodine.
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Cool down your room
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health found that participants who slept in bedrooms cooled to 66°F for a month doubled the amount of brown adipose tissue they burned. Brown adipose tissue is a type of fat that burns calories rather than stores them. “Brown fat becomes more active in cooler temperatures to help keep us warm,” explains Aaron Cypess, MD, an endocrinologist at the NIH. The take-home? Turning down your heat, sleeping in cooler temps, and spending time outdoors is going to help to stoke your metabolism, so chill out to get lean.
RELATED: 5 surprising ways to lose weight in your sleep
Eat consistent amounts of food, at regular intervals
Figure out how many calories you need to achieve your desired weight and evenly divide that number by the 3, 4 or 5 meals and snacks you eat per day. Aim for each of your meals to be roughly this size. Why? Experts suspect that eating at the same times every day trains the body to burn more calories between meals.
Make sure you’re getting enough protein, calcium and Vitamin D
Protein is a one-stop metabolism shop. It fills you up, making you less likely to forage for less metabolism-boosting food. Calcium plays a key role in regulating the way your body metabolizes. Specifically, it determines whether you burn calories or sport them as a tire.
Curated article from:
Yahoo! Health
