5 easy ways to boost your metabolism

Metabolism is a term that describes all the chemical reactions that happen in the body. These chemical reactions are important for the functioning of your body.

The term is often used interchangeably with metabolic rate, which is the number of calories you burn. The higher the metabolic rate, the more calories you burn. The more calories you burn, the more weight you lose.

Having a high metabolism keeps you energetic and makes you feel better all day. Here are 5 easy ways to boost your metabolism.

To start the day on a healthy note, get a good night's sleep the night before. Good quality sleep is associated with greater chances of losing weight successfully. It will provide you with energy for your busy schedule.

Before having your breakfast in the morning, do a nice morning stretch to your health and well-being.

For most people, office takes up the majority of their day's time. By the time they are home, they are so tired that they have no energy to go out to the gym.

In such cases, one such try staying active at work in order to keep their metabolism up. If you have a sedentary job, take mini-activity breaks throughout the day. Regular movement is not just helpful for weight loss but also in boosting your productivity and ability to concentrate on the current work.

Have a nutritious meal at lunch, which includes protein and other metabolism-boosting ingredients. Do not snack mindlessly. Skip the chips, chocolates, cakes and candies.

There are certain foods that can help you burn more calories. The process of chewing, digesting and storing the food requires your body to burn calories. This is called the thermic effect of food (TEF). It only makes up for about 5 -10 per cent of your daily calorie expenditure.

High protein foods are more difficult to digest and support the growth of muscle mass if you are strength training. Fibre also needs to be chewed harder and takes energy to break down. Adding spices to your food is another way to slightly boost the body temperature to burn more calories.

Combining protein and fibre-rich foods can curb hunger cravings for hours after eating, which reduces the overall urge to overeat. Listen to your internal hunger cues to differentiate between true hunger and emotional hunger.

Without any doubt, exercise is the most effective way to boost your metabolism. An intense workout can rev up your metabolic engine for hours even after a session. Even if you are new to physical activity, there are lots of benefits to gain by working out even as a beginner.

Resistance training that helps in building muscles is helpful in long-term metabolism-boosting effects. Even basic workouts help build strength, burn calories and improve your health.

Eating food can increase your metabolism for some time. This is called the thermic effect of food (TEF). It is the extra calories required to digest, absorb and process the nutrients in your meal.

Protein causes the largest rise in TEF. It increases your metabolic rate by 15 - 30 per cent as compared to 5.10 per cent for carbs and 0 - 3 per cent for fat.

Protein also keeps you fuller for longer and prevents you from overeating. A study found that people were likely to eat 441 calories less per day when protein made up 30 per cent of their diet.