Get Your Metabolism Charged

We all want to know the extra little actions we can do daily to increase our metabolism while we lose weight and also once we are in maintenance.

1. Always eat breakfast.  Eating breakfast jump-starts your metabolism and eating every three hours thereafter keeps high energy all day. Women who skip this meal are 4 and ½ times more likely to be obese.
2. Drink coffee, tea or the calorie-burn products daily. Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant, and it has been shown to increase your metabolism 5 to 8 percent. This adds up to about 98 to 174 calories a day!  A cup of brewed tea can raise your metabolism by 12 percent. The calorie-burn products (the infusers and cappuccino) can boost your metabolism 22 to 27 percent! Wow!
3. Eat your fiber. Research has shown that some fiber can increase your fat burning by as much as 30 percent. Aim for 25 gms daily. Our Take Shape for Life program easily fills this requirement.
4. Make your water cold. This makes the body work harder to warm it up in the body. Researchers have found that drinking 6 cups of cold water per day can raise your resting metabolism to burn 50 extra calories.
5. Choose organic products when you can. A study out of Canada reports that those who have the most organochlorines (pollutants from pesticides, which are stored in fat cells) experience a lower metabolism as they lose weight. Another researcher found that pesticides can cause weight gain. So, always choose organic when picking peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, lettuce, imported grapes and pears.
6. Always include Protein. Your body needs protein to maintain it’s lean muscle mass. Add protein to every meal. With Take Shape for Life this is easy!
7. Dividing your meals into six small meals throughout the day can help to keep your metabolism up better than eating just 2 to 3 times daily. With the Take Shape for life Program, we’ve got this one done.
8. Add spices to your food. Cinnamon increases metabolism twentyfold, and you just need to ingest only ¼ to 1 tsp per day.
9. Skip the Cocktails.  When you drink alcohol, you burn less fat and will probably kick yourself out the fat burning stage. The alcohol you consume will be used as an energy source instead of the fat. Having two martinis can reduce your body’s fat-burning ability by up to 73 percent.
10. Take your Calcium. Studies have shown that women short in calcium may slow their metabolism. You will get RDA, but you may want to supplement.
11. Get enough Chromium. Studies found that getting 120 mcg daily will help boost metabolism. Found in green pepper, spinach, meat, eggs, and if you are on the maintenance phase and can have fruit…apples and bananas also are good sources of chromium.
12. Exercise! Taking part in both aerobic and weight training will significantly increase metabolism and build muscle which will be an important part of you maintaining your new healthy weight.

Let’s all enjoy Optimal Health!