Seven tricks to speed up your metabolism and lose weight more easily

When we speak of a "slow" or "fast" metabolism we refer to the speed with which our body processes nutrients, something important to lose weight

People who are used to being overweight have always used the metabolism thing to do. Nobody knows exactly what it means, but instead of admitting that you don't do any sport, and you love to eat, there is always that wild card to justify the extra kilos: “it's my metabolism”. But what the hell is that? Technically, metabolism - a word from the Greek word 'μεταβολή' (metabole), or "change", and the suffix '-ισμός' (-ism), which means "quality" or "system" - is the set of processes Chemicals that the cells of living beings carry out to carry out all their own functions. And the transformation of nutrients in food into different forms of energy is one of the basic functions of this. When we speak of a "slow" or "fast" metabolism, we refer to the speed with which our body performs all these functions. And this is important in regard to our tendency to gain or lose weight. When our metabolism is faster, the body burns more calories, even when it is not doing any physical activity: known as basal metabolism, that is, the energy that our body consumes daily to function without any additional activity beyond the essential functions (those that remain active while we sleep).

More calories are needed to maintain muscle than fat, so if we have good muscle tone our metabolism will be faster

Although having a more or less rapid metabolism depends largely on the genetics of each one - in this, people who have always had a tendency to gain weight may be right - and on other issues that are difficult to alter such as sex or age - a From the age of 40 it slows down - this can be accelerated with certain habits that we can influence. Devin Haman, director of the Beverly Hills Rejuvenation Center, has compiled in 'Medical Daily' the seven best strategies we can follow to accelerate our metabolism, and thus give the boost that we lack to our intention to lose weight.

1. Develop your muscles :

More calories are needed to maintain muscle than fat, so if we have good muscle tone, our metabolism will be faster. As Lucía Bultó and Elena Maestre explain in their book 'Diet for runners' (Planet), “even when they are not used to move the body, the muscles burn energy throughout the day to convert it into heat and maintain the correct body temperature (36-37º) both in summer and winter ”. Strength training, the one designed to increase muscle mass, is just as important to losing weight (or more) than typical aerobic training, such as running, cycling or swimming. And it is especially important after a certain age.

Even when not used to move the body, muscles burn energy throughout the day to convert it into heat

As Bultó and Maestre explain, “the basal metabolism decreases as the body ages, mainly due to the progressive loss of muscle mass with age. As the amount of muscle decreases, so does the energy consumed. This is also the reason why people accustomed to exercising gain so much weight if they abandon it: if your diet is the same, you not only gain calories that you are not burning while exercising, but your metabolism will also slow down due to the loss of muscle mass. And the accumulation of fat. Devin Haman recommends strength training at least two days a week, with at least one day of rest in between, to let the muscles rest and avoid injury.

2. Embrace the HIT :

Few doubts that high intensity interval training (better known as HIT) is the most effective way to lose weight. Conventional aerobic exercises do not serve to build muscle, and once the training is over we stop burning calories. However, when undertaking high intensity exercises - at the limit of our strength - our body demands energy for much longer.

It is enough to practice 10 'sprints' of a minute, interspersed with a minute of rest, on an exercise bike, three times a week, to lose weight

Although different methods similar to HIT were proposed by all types of trainers since the 70s, it was in 2005 when a group of researchers from McMaster University, Canada, laid the foundations for the current technique, which was developed at the same university. Until its definitive results were published in 2010, in an illuminating study published in the 'Journal of Physiology' that went

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Around the world. According to the study, the HIT method is not only more effective than other workouts, it is also safer, since it causes fewer injuries than other types of techniques. Professor Martin Gibala, considered one of the pioneers in the field, said then that it was enough to practice 10 'sprints' of a minute, interspersed with a minute of rest, on an exercise bike, three times a week, to lose weight and train the muscles without spending hours in the gym. There are many who have devised similar workouts since then, and their effectiveness is more than proven.

3. Eat often :

This is controversial advice, but it is not without advocates. If we go without eating anything for a long time between meals, our blood sugar level drops, which makes us feel tired and also slows down our metabolism. Some believe, like Haman, that if we eat small healthy snacks between meals - a handful of nuts or a piece of fruit, for example - we will avoid starving, we will consume fewer calories at the next meal, and we will keep our metabolism accelerated.

There are people for whom six meals a day may work, but others would do well to cut back

Scientists have been warning for several years that meal times are decisive loss strategies, but the same strategies do not work for everyone. There are people for whom six meals a day can help, but others would do well to cut back. It is true that periods of fasting slow down our metabolism, but every time we eat something, insulin levels rise and sugar levels drop again, something that stimulates hunger, and pushes us to want more and more food (preferably in the form of carbohydrates). That is why only people who exercise should follow this advice, and they should always opt for 'snacks' without sugar or refined carbohydrates, which are the ones that affect insulin levels the most.

4. Say yes to spicy :

According to recent research conducted at the University of Wyoming School of Pharmacy, foods containing hot chili pepper - also known as chili pepper - can help us burn fat without having to restrict the calories in our diet. It is not the first study to investigate the benefits of spicy food on our health. Another one, carried out in 2013 at the University of Maastricht, showed that chili, cayenne or hot red peppers contain an element not so well known by name but by the sweat it causes: capsaicin. Precisely the active component that gives the spice to these foods is in charge of reducing body lipids through a mechanism that motivates the death of immature fat cells, so it could help you lose weight.

Adding spice to foods is not only a good idea to lose weight, it could also have other benefits, such as reducing mortality

Eating chili peppers or similar foods immediately increases metabolic activity by around 20% and it is maintained for a maximum of thirty minutes. During that time, the body burns fat. Adding spice to foods is not only a good idea to lose weight, it could also have other important benefits. According to a recent epidemiological study, led by Chinese researchers and published in the 'British Medical Journal', which analyzed the impact of spicy in the diet of more than 485,000 individuals, people who eat spicy once or twice a week , have a 10% lower risk of death than those who do not take it.

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5. Optimize your hormonal balance :

As Haman explains, there are several hormones that play an important role in maintaining metabolism and if their levels are not correct we can suffer from diseases such as hypothyroidism, which contribute to weight gain.

Only physical exercise can help women not to gain weight after one age, without the need to radically change their diet

Hormones such as growth hormones or testosterone are responsible for providing energy to the body and building muscle and, if their presence is not adequate, we can feel tired and, in addition, gain more than necessary, no matter how much we watch our diet. In women, hormonal changes related to menopause, which appears around the age of 50, make more fat accumulate in the belly and make it more difficult to eliminate. Only physical exercise can help women not to gain weight after one age, without the need to radically change their diet.

6. Prioritize protein intake :

Our body takes longer and needs more energy to break down and digest protein than to process other nutrients. Specifically, our body spends around 20 or 30% of the calories provided by proteins in digesting these, compared to the 5 or 15% it needs to process fat or carbohydrates.

Contrary to what happens when we eat carbohydrates, which are stored as fat, excess protein serves to build muscle

As in everything with regard to diet, excesses are not recommended, but contrary to what happens when we eat carbohydrates that are quickly stored as fat, excess protein serves to build muscle, which in turn accelerates our metabolism. So it doesn't hurt if your diet has enough meat, fish, legumes, eggs, cheese and nuts.

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7. Drink coffee :

Although it is one of those foods about which there is a lot of contradictory information, everything seems to indicate that the benefits of coffee far outweigh its dangers. Coffee is not only a powerful stimulant (something that is good for some things, bad for others), it also has a vasodilation effect and seems to prevent the appearance of diseases such as diabetes or some types of cancer.

Many athletes drink several cups of coffee before competing, as caffeine increases adrenaline levels

When it comes to metabolism, coffee is one of the few natural substances that accelerate metabolism, thus helping to burn fat. Drink is also a great ally if we exercise. Many athletes drink several cups of coffee before competing, as caffeine increases adrenaline levels. This hormone prepares our body for exceptional physical exertion: it causes fat cells to break down body fat, releasing it as free fatty acids, which we use for fuel when we exercise.