Health and Wellness
Boost Your Metabolism: 10 Simple Lifestyle Changes That Can Help You Burn More Calories
What is Metabolism?
Hi friends. I guess you have been reading, listening as well as watching videos on how one should go about losing weight and keeping your body in great shape.
Well, you are not the only one- I am also a partner in such ventures. When we are young and too busy to think about our future health, we develop many health-related issues like getting fat, feeling exhausted while performing easy tasks, breathless on brisk walking and feeling worn out at the end of the day.
Of late, I am going through this phase, especially as I am already in my sixties, got a paunch, feeling exhausted and tired, even while doing some simple tasks such as writing an article, walking, climbing stairs, etc. Why was this happening to me?
To find out, I did some extensive research as well as reading some excellent articles on Medium written by some authors who are really good in their field on health issues.
The main culprit I found out was the slowdown in my metabolism. So, what exactly is this metabolism? Here’s what I found out-
Metabolism is the process in our body that plays a crucial role in maintaining our health and well-being. It helps us convert food into energy, allowing our bodies to function properly and efficiently. It plays a vital role in the development, functionality, and maintenance of our body. (Better Health Channel)
When our metabolism becomes sluggish due to various factors like aging, disease-especially hormonal imbalance, injury sustained in an accident (fractures, loss of body parts), missing out on regular exercise, faulty eating habits, less sleep and day-to-day stress, we start feeling the effects like putting on excess weight, developing diseases like diabetes and hypertension and much more.
That said, let’s now learn how we can improve our metabolism by using these 10 simple lifestyle changes so that we can live a quality life with minimal problems. Remember, age is not a limitation here but the earlier you implement these steps, the better.
10 Simple Lifestyle Changes That Can Help You Burn More Calories
In December 2023, I weighed 84.5 kg, was feeling sluggish and bored, had difficulty climbing stairs with knee pains due to early osteoarthritis and feeling pretty listless about what I want to do. It was then that I decided to work on my overweight problem.
So, in the last week of December 2023, I decided to join to a health programme to help me out. I approached Heathifyme, a fitness website that provides inputs to improve your health. I took up a subscription for 6 months starting 1st January 2024.
I had already bought a Healthifyme Smart Scale from Amazon in November 2023. What it revealed was quite shocking. Have look below-
Before we proceed, it is important for us to know the ideal body composition metrics to achieve our goal which, I say can be done by improving our metabolism. Have a look below-
These parameters improve as our body metabolism improves.
To know all about the findings on these smart scales, I suggest you read this article-
If you have observed carefully, the above screenshot of my Smart Scale findings shows my health to be poor and one that needs urgent improvement. For example, my metabolic age shows to be 70 years, whereas I am 68 years to date chronologically.
So, I got in touch with Healthifyme and they appointed 2 coaches for me in my subscription- 1. Nutrition coach- Ms. Nivedita M. and 2. Fitness coach- Ms. Preetamkumari.
These 2 coaches have been guiding me ever since, and I am proud to say that with their guidance, I have already lost about 2 kgs to date in one month’s time- from 84.5 kg, I am now weighing 82.5 kg. Other parameters are yet to improve, as I believe that this process is slow and steady if you stick to your coach's advice!
In the meantime, as I am determined to reach my target of 75 kg, I did some digging online and found out there’s a lot more to losing weight. The most important of all is to improve your metabolism.
Now, here’s a step-by-step method that I have adopted- hopefully you may also benefit if you intend to improve your overall health and wellbeing.
The 10 Simple Lifestyle Changes
If you are keen on improving your metabolism, I suggest you follow these 10 steps that I have recently incorporated in my routine life.
- Regular Exercise: Get moving! Incorporate regular exercise into your routine to rev up your metabolism. Aim for a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity each day, such as brisk walking or biking. The more the better!
- Prioritize rest and sleep: Lack of sleep can negatively impact your metabolism. Make sure to get 7–8 hours of quality sleep each night to support optimal metabolic function. Read this article by Robert Roy Britt — Foundation of Health and Happiness- Better Sleep.
- Fuel your body with the right foods: Choose a balanced diet rich in lean proteins, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Avoid sugary and processed foods that can slow down your metabolism.
**I would like to add here that I was advised to have Jeera [Cumin] + Ajwain [Carom] seeds water 500ml first thing in the morning. This not only helped me do away with the constant bloating and flatulence I had, but also helped me overcome cravings for sweets (I like to have sweets after lunch, and dinner-this stopped completely).
4. Try incorporating yoga into your weekly routine: Not only does it improve flexibility and strength, but certain yoga poses and sequences can also help stimulate your metabolism.
5. Practice mindful eating: Slow down, savor your meals, and pay attention to hunger and fullness cues. Mindful eating can help prevent overeating and support a healthy metabolic rate.
** Add millets to your diet. I noted that having wheat bread- homemade or otherwise- caused bloating and flatulence, probably due to the gluten in wheat. I was advised to switch to millets like jowar and bajra flour. I followed the advice and lo! I started to see the improvement in my weight.
6. Improve your Body Hydration: Don’t underestimate the power of hydration. Drink enough water throughout the day to keep your metabolism functioning optimally. Aim for at least 8 cups of water daily.
** Initially, I was having less that 2 litres of water, even after a workout. That leads to getting painful cramps in the night. Now, after adjusting my fluid intake, there are no cramps and I have a restful sleep.
7. Incorporate strength training into your exercise regimen: Building muscle can help increase your metabolic rate, as muscle burns more calories at rest compared to fat. Here’s an article by Zachary Walston, PT, DPT, OCS on improving muscle strength even as you are aging.
** Remember, improving muscle mass improves our metabolism and helps us burn calories by improving our Basal Metabolic Rate.
8. Eat smaller, more frequent meals: Diet experts recommend consuming smaller portions throughout the day. This keeps your metabolism active and prevents overeating.
9. Spice up your meals: Adding spices like cayenne pepper or turmeric to your dishes not only adds flavor but can also temporarily boost your metabolic rate.
10. Manage Stress: Manage stress levels through meditation or relaxation techniques. Chronic stress can disrupt your metabolism, so finding ways to relax and unwind is crucial for maintaining a healthy metabolic rate.
** I have been doing meditation for quite some time now. Knowing its benefits, I am steadily increasing my meditation time.
Here’s an article by Dr Mehmet Yildiz that explains how meditation improves overall health and manages stress.
Final Words
Finally, I would like to add that you should stay consistent with your healthy habits.
I hope you have understood the importance of improving your metabolism.
Remember that boosting your metabolism is a long-term commitment. Stick to these lifestyle changes and make them a part of your daily routine for lasting results.
