## Six ways to speed up your metabolism Build muscle mass: people with more muscle mass have a higher metabolic rate. Each pound of muscle burns about 7-10 kilocalories per day, while a pound of fat burns only 2-3 kilocalories per day. Exercise: high-intensity exercise provides a higher metabolic rate than low- or moderate-intensity exercise. Running, swimming and cycling are good for improving metabolism and burning fat. Drink water: water helps boost your metabolism, detoxify your body and control your appetite. Even with a little dehydration, your metabolism slows down. Drink a glass of water before every meal and snack. Add spices: spicy foods contain substances that speed up the metabolism. Prepare meals by adding crushed chili peppers to them. Eat enough protein: protein requires more energy to metabolize than carbohydrates and fats. Protein also keeps you full for a longer period of time. Drink coffee and tea: caffeine boosts energy, and it also boosts your metabolism for a short time. In addition, green tea contains caffeine and catechins, substances which speed up the metabolism. ## What hurts your metabolism? Lack of sleep: lack of sleep leads to an imbalance in the hormones responsible for hunger and appetite. The less you sleep, the greater your hunger and cravings for sweets. Strict diets: Strict diets teach your body to make do with fewer calories, especially if you are exercising. As a result, your body starts to conserve calories and your metabolism slows down. Skipping meals: taking long breaks between meals slows down your metabolism and increases your body's ability to store fat. Doing this has a negative effect on the metabolism in the long term. High temperature indoors: the warmer it is indoors, the slower your metabolism is. Lack of carbohydrates: carbohydrates are necessary for the body to produce insulin. If you follow a low-carbohydrate diet for a long time, less of it will be produced and your metabolism will deteriorate. Shift or night work: disrupts circadian rhythms and may lead to slower metabolism. Stress: prolonged periods of stress lead to excessive production of cortisol. Stress may cause insulin resistance, which in turn adversely affects the metabolism. Trans fats: a high amount of saturated fat in the diet affects the ability of the body to break down nutrients and may lead to insulin resistance and abnormal metabolic processes. ## Myths about metabolism Myth 1: Frequent meals and small portions will increase your metabolic rate. A temporary increase in your metabolic rate is directly proportional to how much and what you eat. Eating 6 snacks throughout the day slightly boosts your metabolism. However, eating 6 snacks a day and 3 full meals a day boosts your metabolism 3 times, but more strongly. Myth 2: Breakfast boosts the metabolism. The presence or absence of breakfast has no significant effect on weight loss for those trying to lose weight. The number of calories consumed per day plays a role. Myth 3: Eating before bedtime will turn into fat. It is not important what time you eat, but how many calories you consume in a day. Eating light snacks before bedtime does not harm your metabolism, as long as you stay within your calorie allowance during the day. Myth 4: Metabolism is responsible for burning calories. Actually, metabolism involves two processes: catabolism, which releases energy in the form of calories burned, and anabolism, which stores energy. A healthy metabolism depends on a balance of these two components.