As far as perfection goes, when we’re talking about perfect physiques, most would agree that perfection comes in the form of a lean, ripped, vascular physique that looks as if it has been chiselled out of stone. It’s easy to envision the perfect physique, but it’s a whole other story entirely to actually obtain the perfect physique. If you’re looking to shed those unsightly pounds and tone up, it might be worth starting with your metabolism. Your metabolism is a series of natural physiological processes which take place every single second in your body, designed to burn calories and stored body fat and convert them into the energy needed to carry out said processes. There’s much more science to it than that, but you get the general picture. Boosting your metabolism will therefore provide you with more energy and leave you leaner in the process. Here are a few proven methods of boosting the metabolism to get lean.
Consume more protein
Protein is thermogenic. This means that it causes the body’s core temperature to increase slightly as it is being digested. This is because the body struggles to digest it and so it is forced to work harder. Your metabolism sees that the body is struggling and so it is forced to speed up and work harder to generate more energy which is then used to digest it and break it down. Furthermore, protein also promotes lean muscle growth. At maintenance, muscle requires more energy than fat, which means that the more lean muscle you build, the faster your metabolism runs. Aim for between 0.6 and 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight per day.
Drink cold water
This may sound like an urban myth, but it’s actually backed up by science, and when you think about it, it makes perfect sense. We should drink plenty of fresh water each day anyways, but when it comes to the metabolism, drinking cold water is even better. When you consume cold water, once it makes its way to your stomach it is much colder than everything else in there. The body needs to heat it up slightly to regulate your core body temperature, and so by heating your core temperature your metabolism is forced to burn more calories. This is why people in colder climates need more calories for maintenance than people in warmer parts of the world.
Resistance training
As mentioned, lean muscle tissue requires more calories at maintenance than body fat. This is why bodybuilders often require such large quantities of food just to maintain their size. It’s also why bodybuilders often have metabolisms like furnaces. Weight training has been found to significantly increase a person’s resting metabolic rate. Not only that, but just two resistance-based workouts each week can slow age-related metabolic decline down by as much as 50%. So, if you needed yet another excuse to continue pumping iron, despite getting a little long in the tooth, now you have it.
Add some spice
While caffeine is a natural stimulant proven to boost metabolism, the downside is that too much can be dangerous, and the effects do not last. If you want a more natural stimulant for boosting the metabolism, try spicy food instead. Spicy foods get their heat from capsaicin, which is a compound found in chilli peppers. On average, healthy doses of capsaicin per day will allow you to burn off around 10 extra calories per meal. It may not sound like much, but every little helps.
