Boosting your metabolism is a major factor in weight loss, but stepping up to a leaner body isn't easy for a woman, especially if your lifestyle has evolved into a stress-filled schedule. The best way for women to boost metabolism is a healthy approach combining proper diet, stress management, and keeping your body in motion, from fidgeting to regular exercise and weight training. Before you start any health program, check with your doctor to make sure there's not a medical reason for low metabolism and seek your doctor's supervision before making any changes to your diet or exercise habits.
Eating Habits
When you wake up in the morning, you're given a prime opportunity to kick-start your metabolism into action by having breakfast. Skipping this first meal means your metabolism doesn't jump into a full gallop until you eat lunch, and by then, you're hungry enough to overeat and cause sluggishness the rest of the day. A healthy breakfast with protein from eggs, peanut butter or turkey bacon plus good carbohydrates like oatmeal or whole wheat toast will spur your metabolism into action, giving you energy and keep you feeling full. Your metabolism works best with a healthy diet, so don't attempt drastically reduced eating plans that include only a few hundred calories per day. When you do this, your body shifts into starvation mode and slows down your metabolism to conserve energy. Instead, reduce your calories gradually, replacing junk food with healthy choices like fresh veggies and lean meat.
Strength Training
In addition to cardiovascular exercise, schedule some weight lifting time as well. As your muscles develop, they replace fat and burn calories more efficiently, according to Catherine Saxelby, nutritionist and author of "Nutrition for Life" and the Foodwatch.com.au web site. Women who train with weights shouldn't worry about the possibility of gaining that puffed-out bodybuilder physique; a woman's body reacts differently to strength training, especially when you work out with smaller weights. Less than an hour of training a week can reap noticeable benefits to your metabolism and waistline.
Keep Moving
Being fidgety may have got you in trouble during the school years, but now Dr. James Levine of the Mayo Clinic believes it can help you lose weight. His study, published in the January 2005 issue of "Science," discovered that lean people with a higher metabolism sat less often and moved their bodies frequently through drumming fingers, flitting around the room, and even cleaning. This constant, low-key motion is known as Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis or NEAT and may even be more effective than planned exercise sessions---although if you're overweight and trying to slim down, you can do both.
Relaxation
While eating well and moving more are key components to boosting your metabolism, taking time to sit still can help as well. Meditation, pleasurable hobbies like reading or crafting, and getting a good night's sleep are valuable factors in stress reduction. The less stress you have, the less cortisol, a natural hormone, your body will release, enabling you to resist those processed, fattening foods and keeping your now-heightened metabolism on track.
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