What can I do to speed up my metabolism?

It is claimed that certain foods and drinks can boost your metabolism, including green tea, black coffee, spices and energy drinks. The evidence behind these claims is flimsy, the effect on your metabolism is marginal at best and each person will respond differently to each product. Based on the best available research, below are the most effective ways to speed up your metabolism:

Build muscle
The body requires more energy to maintain muscle tissue than fat stores, so people with a higher muscle to fat ratio have a faster metabolic rate. Examples of muscle-strengthening activities include lifting weights and high intensity bouts of exercise. Heavy gardening may also do the job.

Be active
Being constantly on the move and reducing time spent sitting down will help you burn more calories. Movement itself requires energy but it also stimulates hormones and protein breakdown, both of which increase your metabolic rate. The more you move, the more calories you burn.

Exercise vigorously
Short, sharp bursts of exercise, such as high intensity training (HIT), spinning on a bicycle or sprinting uphill, will elevate your metabolism. Vigorous intensity exercise gives the metabolism a jolt and helps maintain muscle size in a way that longer, moderate intensity exercise doesn't. If you're new to exercise or getting back into it, you're advised to get the all-clear from a health professional before engaging in vigorous exercise.

Eat protein
Food containing protein promotes muscle growth and requires more energy to digest than other food. Make sure you’re eating enough protein to achieve a balanced diet. Healthy sources of protein include lean meat, skinless white meat, poultry, fish, tofu, nuts, beans, eggs and lower-fat dairy products. Food high in protein also helps make you feel full for longer.

Turn down the heating
New research suggests turning down the heating or wearing fewer clothes can help burn calories. Colder temperatures are thought to activate your body’s brown fat deposits to burn calories to keep you warm. It was previously thought only babies had brown fat but several recent studies have found brown fat in adults, prompting research into how brown fat can help weight management.

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