Top tips to turbocharge your metabolism
If you're having trouble losing weight, the reason could be that you are slowing down. If you lack the time or grit for corrective gym sessions, you can still rev up the rate at which you burn calories through a smart diet. Here are some tips on how to boost your metabolism without working out - no squats required.
The obvious way to kick-start your revitalisation campaign is by consuming green tea - an outstanding metabolism booster, according to US weight loss specialist Westin Childs.
The potion boosts metabolism in two ways, Childs says. First, it increases the breakdown of brown adipose tissue. Secondly, through its caffeine content, it raises your whole body's base metabolic rate, stimulating your sympathetic nervous system, which acts as the body's fight or flight response system. Cue an increase in muscle contraction, among other dynamics.
Caffeine is the next best natural fat burner, according to Childs. In isolation, caffeine can raise your base metabolic rate by up to 7 per cent a day.
On the basis of a 2,000-calorie diet, that spells an extra 140 calories per day and 3,920 calories per month - that's "at least one pound [0.45 kg] of fat", he says.
Avoid sodas and sugary energy drinks, which couple caffeine with empty calories that negate weight loss, he warns, adding that the cheapest effective slimming caffeine consumption tool is pure caffeine pills.
Alternatively, Childs says, drink coffee without sugar or cream - or try zero-calorie energy drinks.
Another less well-known way of ramping up your metabolism is to increase your calcium intake. Calcium has been proven to boost caloric expenditure and fuel weight loss - independent of how much you eat and exercise, according to healthy living consultant Liam Springer, who cites a University of Tennessee study.
The calcium source you choose matters, according to Springer, who says milk works better than a calcium supplement.
"Adding milk or other calcium-rich dairy products to your diet will boost your metabolism and increase your fat burning without getting off the couch," Springer says.
Just eating vegetables several times daily will also activate your metabolism, according to fitness enthusiast John Paul Engel, who lost 36 kg of fat in 11 months through diet and exercise.
"Every time you put something in your mouth, you stoke the furnace that burns fat," Engel says. "If you eat like a bodybuilder instead of a sumo wrestler, you can turbo charge your metabolism," he adds, noting that a bodybuilder eats seven meals a day.
Every morning, pack two plastic containers of raw veggies - broccoli, asparagus, peppers, adding cherries as a reward, he suggests, recommending fist-sized portions.
Eliminate bread from your diet, Engel continues, explaining that a piece of bread equals a tablespoon of sugar.
In fact, the more you eliminate processed foods - especially soft drinks - the better your body will function and the better you will feel because processed foods host many chemicals the body does not recognise. Your diet should consist of meat, veggies, nuts and a little fruit, he says, recommending fresh unprocessed foods.
Another recognised calorie burner is the freshwater algae, spirulina.
Spirulina hosts protein and the key amino acids your body needs to keep your metabolism charged by fuelling your cells.
The ingredient can be bought in a range of forms: energy bar, biscuit, chip and powder. Or consider a kelp alternative with a similarly impressive reputation, fucoxanthin, which is usually sold as a powder.
Even drinking water can benefit the fat loss cause, research shows. A German study found that, after drinking 17 ounces (483 millilitres) of water, participants' metabolic rates - the pace at which calories burn - increased by 30 per cent.
Do not overlook the fat-burning grunt of a potent, mainstream dietary constituent: protein. Protein has the handy "thermic" ability to make your body generate more heat and, in turn, burn more calories.
According to a study published in the , the fat oxidation and thermic effect are stronger with whey than soya or casein.
Capsaicin, which puts zing into peppers and spices, also stokes your fat-burning furnace.
According to a study published in the , a tablespoon of chillies boosts your body's production of heat and excites your sympathetic nervous system. The result is a 23 per cent metabolism spike. So embrace the chilli - and the hotter the better.
The searing Korean gochu pepper, sold as gochujang paste, reportedly boasts the highest caloric burn. Other spices, including ginger and turmeric, have a similar heft.
Low temperature exposure is the final effective way of supercharging your metabolism.
Berlin's Humboldt University research shows that drinking two litres of cold water raises your metabolic burn by 95 calories per day. So besides chilling the water you drink, why not lower the thermostat in your home, take cold showers or bathe in a cool pool?
Where to get your fast fix
You can buy spirulina from Welspring, room 303, 3/F, Keen Hung Commercial Building, 80 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai, and Wild Bounty, 34 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central, Hong Kong.
For Thai spices, visit Kowloon City, where Thai expatriates flock. For Indian spices, try the area behind Chungking Mansions around Mody Road in Tsim Sha Tsui.
Organic food venues include Just Green Organic Convenience Store at 52 Graham Street and Corner Block, shop A, G/F, World Trust Tower, 50 Stanley Street, Central. Fucoxanthin is sold by alibaba.com
