7 Proven Ways To Help Boost Your Metabolism

A Beginner’s Guide to Increasing Your Metabolic Rate

Here are 7 tips to help you get started:

• Plan your daily nutrition
• Find the right workout for you
• Create new habits and stick to them
• Track your progress
• Get consistent feedback
• Adjust your sleep habits
• Reduce your stress and increase your energy

Are you tired of feeling sluggish? Or looking for the best way to lose weight and feel energized? You’re not alone. Did you know 88% of Americans and 1 in 3 UK adults feel this way because they’re metabolically unhealthy? While most people think metabolism is about weight loss, it's so much more than that. It comprises personalizing your metabolism according to your goals the natural way through nutrition, movement, sleep, and mindfulness. 

Wait, what does ‘boosting your metabolism’ actually mean?

Your metabolism is the process by which your body converts food into energy. The rate at which your body burns calories is called your metabolic rate. A higher metabolic rate means your body burns calories faster - which makes it easier to lose weight and maintain energy levels. When your metabolism is working efficiently, it can help you maintain a healthy weight, give you more energy, and increase your fitness performance.

Your first steps to making a metabolic shift

To boost your metabolism, you need to know where you stand. Mia Johanna Dige, Lumen’s onboarding expert, shares that “in order to increase your metabolism performance and reach your goals, you need to first assess your current metabolic health. Understanding where you stand will give you the insights on where to start and how”. She continues to explain that “by setting realistic goals and committing to a plan focused on getting closer to your outcomes, it will be easier to create new habits and get into a lifestyle shift mindset”. To keep yourself on track, dedicate time to check in on your progress and get consistent feedback on what’s working for you.

So, what tips do our Lumen experts have for boosting your metabolism?

Let’s dive in!

7 Tips to Boost Your Metabolism

Tip #1 - Plan your daily nutrition

Nutrition plays a significant role in your metabolism because the foods we eat provide the necessary energy and nutrients for our bodies to function properly. Carbohydrates, fats, and proteins are macronutrients that contain all sources of energy that our bodies can use. Eating these foods in the right quantities and at the right time will help you achieve sustainable weight loss and reach optimal metabolic flexibility (1).

Healthy eating looks different for everyone, but the key is consistency. Making small changes to our daily intake and nurturing this healthy relationship with food makes it easier to form more habits we can stick to.

To get started, you should make a shopping list for your next grocery run and keep your macros - healthy carbohydrates, proteins, and fats - in mind.

Tip #2 - Find the right workout for you

A metabolically-balanced diet is key for sustainable weight loss but it’s only half the battle. To double down on your results try to integrate movement into your weekly routines. In fact, you don’t have to put a lot of time aside to exercise. A well-conducted research (2) recommended that 30-minute sessions of speedy walking or a similar activity 5 times a week is enough to lower the risk of many diseases. 

Think of these bite-size workouts as exercise snacks. It’s your opportunity to experiment with different workouts and integrate the ones you enjoy most in your life. These could range from cardio, weight lifting, yoga, or a brisk walk around the block. 

When it comes to eating before a workout and you’re not sure if you’re getting the best nutrition for good performance, pre-workout carbs like a sweet potato, a banana, or a smoothie will provide the fuel your muscles need to power through and help your body transition from burning carbs to fats. 

According to Lumen Experts - These are the best ways to complete your workouts:

• make data-driven decisions about your pre-workout nutrition 
• find your pace, recognize your boundaries
• celebrate your wins
• Lean into your support network for friendly motivation 
• Find yourself a workout buddy to help you stay on track   

Always keep in mind that even small changes in your daily routine can make a big difference in boosting your metabolism. For example, take the stairs instead of the elevator, or park further away from the entrance to get in more steps.

Tip #3 - Create new habits and stick to them

When starting a new journey and making big lifestyle changes, your first challenge is shifting your mindset. When you have a clear goal in mind, it’s easier to make the changes to support it. This includes incremental changes over time, which eventually become rooted habits. We all know how busy life can get and how easy it is to just grab that “convenience food”, without considering the impact it can have on overall health. 

“Establishing healthy eating habits can give you more energy overall, as well as helping to make your training more effective”, shares Lumen’s metabolic coach, Noa Shani. Preparing your environment will set you up with a good foundation for success. 

Here are a few healthy habits you can implement: 

• Reorganize your pantry to make healthy foods available
• Consider not only what foods you eat, but when to eat for optimal metabolic performance
• Create space in your home to exercise and replace static with dynamic daily movement
• Regulate your sleeping habits for a longer period of time

Combining exercise, mindfulness, and healthy sleep habits are the following stepping stones to reaching a healthy lifestyle. Once you’ve incorporated these new habits into your daily routine it can help give your metabolism the boost you’re looking for, help you burn more fat, and make weight loss a whole lot easier. 

Tip #4 - Track your progress

When embarking on a new lifestyle journey, one of the most common things people focus on is ‘how long will it take me to see results?!’ While energy boosts are instant benefits, a big source of motivation comes from feeling and seeing physical changes. Instead, switch to tracking your morning energy levels. 

Evaluating what you ate for dinner, what time you finished eating, how you slept to how you felt when you woke up in the morning. Tapping into this mindset will make on-the-spot decisions intuitive and easy. With the proper guidance, you can get closer to your goals and metabolic insights. 

Our Lumen experts recommend:

• Take daily measurements to check-in 
• Assess how you feel when you wake up 
• Remember your motivation and what you’re working towards
• Find inspiration in others
• Strive for progress, not perfection

Tip #5 - Get consistent feedback 

Most of us want to be guided by a ‘coach’ with a playbook on what, when, how, who and why we should do things. It makes total sense, we want to validate and ensure we’re on the right track. For example, measuring our metabolic status before going to bed and when we wake up to assess where our metabolic rate is standing. These indications give us feedback on which decisions we should take regarding our food intake and movement during the day. 

Having a space where we get emotional support and encouragement goes a long way too. Updating your friends and family on your progress, joining a community with like-minded people, and having that space to share your challenges and achievements will make this journey more enjoyable and motivating. 

Alon Rosh, Lumen’s Community Manager shares that “this kind of encouragement is especially comforting when we feel we are getting off track or had a bad day. On these days, it’s most important to celebrate your wins and milestones - it’s the fuel that will push you closer to your goals”.

Our Lumen experts recommend: 

• Having a space where we get emotional support and encouragement
• Measuring our metabolic status before going to bed and when we wake up
• Joining an online forum like the Lumen Facebook Community
• Offering support and encouragement to others on the same journey

Tip #6 - Adjust your sleep patterns

Sleep is a hidden gem in boosting metabolism and it’s often overlooked, but sleep plays a significant role in shaping our metabolism. Not getting enough sleep can disrupt the hormones that regulate metabolism and appetite, making it harder to lose weight. We recommend aiming for at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night. Food (yep, you guessed it) also plays a role in getting a good night’s sleep. 

Our Lumen experts recommend these sleep-promoting tips:

• For those who regularly wake up in fat burn, foods like oatmeal, bananas, or chamomile tea can be beneficial to help aid sleep. 
• Turn off screens an hour before bedtime.
• Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on the weekends.  
• Avoid eating late at night and give yourself time to digest dinner at least 2 hours before going to sleep.

Tip #7 - Reduce your stress and increase your energy 

A missing piece for a healthy lifestyle is boosting your energy and decreasing your stress. “Our bodies are able to handle stress well,” explains Lumen expert Noa Shani, “but only in small doses. Once it becomes more persistent it can actually wreak havoc on our health.” She explains that prolonged stress can contribute to weight gain, poorer diet choices, and being less active. Chronic stress can slow down the metabolism. Stress causes the body to release the hormone cortisol, which can lead to weight gain and a slower metabolism. 

Follow these tips by Lumen Experts to help with stress management:

• Add mindfulness activities, like yoga or meditation to the weekly routine
• Work out to relieve stress and boost your endorphins
• Practice deep breathing for 5 minutes each day
• Choose energy-boosting foods, like fruits and vegetables instead of sugary snacks

• Keep hydrated with water throughout the day

Once you’re able to shift your mindset, your shift in metabolic rate will follow.

Incorporating all four of these principles into your life can help you become more metabolically flexible, making it easier to achieve your health goals. When you’re able to track how your lifestyle choices impact your metabolic health, you’re then able to make real-time decisions to reach your goals.    

We hope these tools help you on your journey to a metabolically healthy lifestyle. If you need an extra push or a daily nutritional plan - we’d love to help!

*You might also be intrested in this Beginner's Guide to Carb Cycling for Weight Loss using Lumen >>

Sources

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Araújo J, Cai J, Stevens J. Prevalence of Optimal Metabolic Health in American Adults: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2009-2016. Metab Syndr Relat Disord. 2019;17(1):46-52. doi:10.1089/met.2018.0105

Swift DL, McGee JE, Earnest CP, Carlisle E, Nygard M, Johannsen NM. The Effects of Exercise and Physical Activity on Weight Loss and Maintenance. Prog Cardiovasc Dis. 2018 Jul-Aug;61(2):206-213. doi: 10.1016/j.pcad.2018.07.014. Epub 2018 Jul 9. PMID: 30003901.

Zarrinpar A, Chaix A, Panda S. Daily Eating Patterns and Their Impact on Health and Disease. Trends Endocrinol Metab. 2016 Feb;27(2):69-83. doi: 10.1016/j.tem.2015.11.007. Epub 2015 Dec 17. PMID: 26706567; PMCID: PMC5081399.

Smiley A, King D, Bidulescu A. The Association between Sleep Duration and Metabolic Syndrome: The NHANES 2013/2014. Nutrients. 2019;11(11):2582. Published 2019 Oct 26. doi:10.3390/nu11112582