Iron helps transport oxygen to your cells, supports your cellular metabolism, gives you natural energy, and helps with chemical reactions needed to burn fat.įoods rich in iron also tend to contain protein, which raises your metabolism. Raise your metabolism with meals and snacks high in iron, says Jones. If you want a chillier treat, use frozen pineapple instead of fresh. Combine all ingredients into your blender and blend until smooth. You can add a pinch of cayenne to almost any savory meal, and even include fresh cayenne and ginger in your smoothies.įor a metabolism-boosting pre-workout, make this energizing pineapple ginger smoothie:Ĭombine 2-3 pineapple chunks, 1-2 small slices of fresh ginger, a pinch of cayenne pepper, a squeeze of lemon, and ½ cup coconut water or filtered water.

Spicy meals, like ones containing cayenne or ginger, increase your body temperature, which speeds up your metabolism. Spice It UpĪdd a little fire to your food to get your metabolism revving, says Charmaine Jones, a registered dietitian based in Washington, D.C. As you get fitter, you can start adding more intervals and work at a higher intensity during your sprints, then start reducing the amount of time between intervals. Try moderately raising your intensity for three brief intervals during your workout, but don't go all out, suggests Arthur. If you’re new to aerobic exercise, ease into interval workouts. Here's a quick 5-minute HIIT workout to get you started. Work at maximal effort for 15 seconds to 1 minute, then slow down to recover between sprints. If you already do cardio on a regular basis, start adding sprints to the mix. Like weightlifting, HIIT stimulates EPOC, so you’ll burn more calories all day - not just when you’re working out. For instance, a hypothyroid health condition will slow down your metabolic rate while a hyperthyroid condition will speed it up.Transform boring cardio into a metabolism-boosting workout with HIIT, or high intensity interval training. Health factors - There are other health factors that may play a role in determining how your body metabolizes food, as well.Age - In general, your metabolic rate decreases as you age.This is not just formal exercise, but also whether you spend more time sitting, standing or lying down, how much you fidget, etc. Your activity level - How active you are determines, to some extent, how many calories your body will burn.If you increase your lean body mass, then you can also increase your metabolism. The amount of lean body mass you have - In general, fat is less hungry than lean body mass.Your height and weight - As a general rule, the larger you are the higher your caloric requirements are to maintain your body mass.Some of the factors that affect your own unique metabolism are: Metabolism is a highly individual aspect of your health that is influenced by a number of factors. Food that is not converted to immediate energy is stored in the muscles as glycogen or as fat. Metabolism, simply put, is how effectively your body converts the food (fuel) you take in into energy.

Which foods speed up metabolism