There are many factors can contribute to slow metabolism, impairing your body’s ability to process food and burn fewer calories, resulting in weight gain.
The following are the most common causes of slow metabolism and weight gain:
Reduced muscle mass. Muscle burns more calories than fat. Therefore, those with more muscle mass usually have a higher metabolic rate and burn more calories.
Age. Age-related muscle loss, a condition called sarcopenia, begins in your mid-30s. According to Harvard Medical School, the typical person loses 1-2 percent of muscle annually. However, after age 60, muscle loss can significantly increase to 3 percent per year.
Sex. Males generally have higher metabolisms than females because they have more muscle mass and less body fat.
Genetics. Your genes play a significant role in metabolism because they influence your muscle size and capability to build muscle mass.
Smoking. The nicotine in cigarettes increases your heart rate, which boosts your metabolism. But the weight control benefits do not offset the health complications of this habit. Studies show that smoking increases the risk of many severe medical conditions, including heart disease, high blood pressure, emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and several cancers.
Severe calorie restriction. Research shows that prolonged calorie restriction slows metabolism, which is the primary reason your weight loss stalls and also explains why you may regain the weight quickly.
The good news is that you don’t have to struggle with low metabolism and severe weight fluctuation. Instead, you can boost your metabolism with the tips below.
Increase Muscle Mass
Strength training is the best way to increase muscle mass.
A review of studies published in Current Sports Medicine Reports discovered that a 10-week strength training program can:
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Increase lean muscle mass by 3 pounds |
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Reduce body fat by 3-4 pounds |
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Raise resting metabolic rate by 7% |
Plus, it can help prevent type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other medical conditions.
How much strength training is necessary to boost your metabolism?
One 6-month study found that people who exercised for a mere 11 minutes a day, three times a week, increased their resting metabolic rate by 7.4% and burned 125 additional calories per day.
Consume More Protein
Eating specific foods can temporarily increase your metabolism for a few hours.
This phenomenon is referred to as the thermic effect of food (TEF). It boosts metabolism due to the additional calories required to digest, absorb, and process the nutrients in a meal.
The most significant increase in TEF is attributed to protein. It is estimated that dietary protein requires 20-30% of its available energy for metabolism, whereas carbohydrates and fat require 5-10% and 0-3, respectively.
Protein has also been shown to increase feelings of fullness and prevent overeating.
Practice High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
Make interval training a part of your regular exercise regimen.
HIIT involves short bursts of intense activity followed by a short rest period.
Numerous studies show that it significantly increases your metabolic rate for hours after you’ve completed the workout, helping you torch fat and lose weight.
Exercises involving high-intensity interval training may have a more significant effect on the body than other types of exercises. Additionally, HIIT has been shown to enhance fat burning.
HIIT is safe and easy to incorporate into your exercise routine and can help you lose excess weight. Just remember to start slowly, gradually building up to maximum intensity.
Get More Sleep
The importance of sleep to our health cannot be overstated.
A lack of sleep may increase your risk of cardiovascular disease, depression, diabetes, and other health conditions.
According to several studies, insufficient sleep may lower your metabolic rate and increase your chances of gaining weight.
Researchers found that healthy adults who slept four hours a night for five consecutive nights experienced an average decrease in resting metabolic rate of 2.6%. However, after 12 continuous hours of sleep, their RMR reverted to normal.
Drink Coffee
Good news, coffee drinkers! Your cup of Joe may be helping you slim down.
Research shows that coffee stimulates metabolism due to its caffeine content.
According to studies, coffee can boost RMR by 3–11%, with higher dosages having a more substantial impact.
This increase in metabolism is primarily due to greater fat oxidation (fat burning).
Interestingly, caffeine’s fat-burning effect appears much greater in lean individuals than in obese ones. For example, a recent study showed that caffeine could increase fat burning by as much as 29% in lean individuals but only about 10% in obese individuals.
Manage Stress
Chronic stress is known to be harmful to your health. But do you know that it can also slow metabolism? It’s true.
Researchers from the University of Florida found that chronic stress triggers betatrophin production. Betatrophin is a protein that blocks a fat-burning enzyme, so the more you have in your system, the less fat you’ll burn.
Stress also increases cortisol levels in the body, which impedes thyroid function and slows metabolism. In addition, having excess cortisol in your bloodstream has been linked to belly fat accumulation.
Additionally, cortisol is a catabolic hormone, which means that it breaks down muscle for energy. Thus, constantly elevated cortisol levels may lead to muscle loss, decreasing metabolism and causing you to gain weight.
So, to keep your metabolism speed high and burn more calories, you must take steps to relieve stress daily.
Boost your Metabolism with SANE Luminae!
Fat burning is a known benefit of SANE Luminae. This clinical formulation contains 7-Keto DHEA, a nonhormonal and safe metabolite of DHEA.
Several studies have shown that 7-Keto DHEA optimizes thyroid function, restoring resting metabolic rate to pre-diet levels as soon as seven days after taking it. Conversely, a calorie-restricted diet tends to slow the metabolism.
Additionally, studies have found that 7-Keto may increase essential thyroid hormone levels, which could be helpful for those suffering from hypothyroidism.
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