Easy Tips for Speeding Up a Sluggish, Slow Metabolism

A slow, sluggish body metabolism hinders weight loss, promotes weight gain, and promotes low energy levels and digestive problems. Speeding up and energizing a sluggish metabolism can be achieved by implementing these easy-to-follow steps:

Eat smaller, more frequent meals

The simple process of eating stimulates metabolism. Every piece of food that is consumed requires digestion, which causes a metabolic spike. The key to using eating as a way to stimulate a sluggish metabolism is to avoid eating a few large meals throughout the day and instead eat several smaller meals throughout the day. Eating 5-7 small meals will provide 5-7 metabolic spikes, and smaller, more frequent meals are easier to digest and less likely to be stored as fat. The key is to keep overall caloric intake the same but divided up in small increments throughout the day. This type of eating pattern stimulates a sluggish metabolism and keeps it functioning at a higher rate due to the constant influx of small meals that need to be digested and excreted!

Eat More Protein-Rich Foods

Out of all the micro-nutrients available in foods, protein has the highest thermic effect, which is the amount of calories the body has to waste digesting a particular food source. Fat has a very minimal thermic effect; carbohydrate slightly higher; protein, however, has a significant thermic effect, requiring tremendous digestive function to digest and transport. Therefore, a diet rich in protein, specifically lean cuts of protein, will have a positive, uplifting effect on a sluggish and slow metabolism. Many times a person's metabolism will drastically increase simply by eliminating certain metabolic quenching foods(fats, sugars, simple carbohydrates) and replacing them with lean proteins(lean cuts of meat and fish, nuts and legumes, and low-fat or non-fat dairy). An added benefit of higher protein consumption is the satiating effects that protein has on appetite; diets high in protein tend to curb hunger and satisfy much better than high carbohydrate and/or high fat diets!

Drink Plenty of Water

Keeping adequately hydrated is of great importance to maintaining peak metabolic function. Many people with sluggish metabolisms are dehydrated. A body that is dehydrated does not function at optimal levels, and this includes metabolic deficiencies. The human body is made up largely of water, and every vital function necessary for the maintenance of health and life requires sufficient body hydration on a daily basis. Everything from cellular functions and processes to digestion and elimination require adequate amount of water. An active, healthy adult should aim to drink at least 8-10 cups of water per day. It's always better to over hydrate than to under hydrate, as frequent trips to the bathroom are a small price to pay for increased body efficiency and a healthier, faster metabolism!

Get Daily Physical Exercise

A sedentary lifestyle is one of the biggest factors causing a slow, sluggish metabolism. Physical movement burns calories by elevating metabolism. The more strenuous an exercise or movement, the higher the metabolic spike and the greater number of calories burned. Simply incorporating more physical exercise on a daily basis will have a significant impact on a person's metabolism. And exercise need not be overly-strenuous to have a significant metabolic impact. Gardening, walking the dog, and performing household chores all count as physical exercise with metabolic-boosting effects. The key with exercise is to incorporate it into daily life; getting in the habit of moving more and being more physically active in general translates into more calories burned and a higher-functioning, speedier metabolism!