How to Lose Belly Fat When You Supercharge Your Metabolism

Burn more calories 24/7 when you use the plan to supercharge your metabolism.

Turn up the burn and get those six pack abs!

There’s nothing mysterious or complicated about metabolism. It’s simply the amount of energy (aka calories) that our body needs every day. About 70% of these calories are used for basic functions, like breathing and circulating the blood. Another 20% is used as fuel for physical activity, which includes working out, fidgeting, walking and even holding our bodies upright. The remaining 10% is used to digest the food we eat. The problems begin when we consume more calories than our body needs to do these things. That’s when our weight begins to creep up.

The speed of your metabolism is partly due to genetics. Genes contribute to the number of appetite-control hormones we have. Some people are genetically programmed to be active; they’re naturally restless and use more energy. Those are the lucky ones with a high-metabolism.

Gender also plays a role. Men generally have a metabolism about 10 to 15 percent higher than women; mainly because they have more muscle mass, which means they burn more calories. As unfair as it seems, women’s bodies are designed to hold on to body fat. Muscle naturally burns more calories than fat, so men will tend to have a higher metabolism.

The good news is you can speed up your metabolism despite genetics and gender. Here are 10 simple secrets to boosting your metabolism big-time. These weight loss tips will keep your metabolism burning at its peak for ultimate fat loss.

1.  Exercise more often –

Exercise is the number one way to keep your metabolism cranking. Exercise creates lean muscle, and the more lean muscle you have, the more calories you burn all day. That’s because muscle burns calories even while you’re at rest. With sufficient exercise, you can prevent the natural metabolic slow-down that begins to occur as you age. This natural slow-down can start as early as your late twenties!

2.  Bump up the cardio –

Aerobic intervals will help you maximize your metabolic rate and double the number of calories you burn during a workout. Interval training keeps your metabolic rate burning higher than a steady-paced routine for up to an hour after you’ve finished your workout. The ideal interval routine for boosting metabolism is to go hard for a couple of minutes, then slow to an easier pace for a minute or two, keep alternating between the two intensities throughout your workout.

3.  Use your muscles –

Many women avoid the weight machines because they worry about bulking up and building muscles, or they avoid working their arms altogether and stick with working only their legs. A compete strength training routine will turbocharge your calorie burning potential. Choose a weight lifting routine that targets your core, arms, legs, chest and shoulders. Working numerous muscles will help your body burn more calories.

4.  Don’t skip meals –

The simple act of eating actual kicks your metabolism into gear. The more often you eat, the more you rev up your metabolism. Conversely, skipping a meal or going too long between meals can bring your metabolism down to a crawl. Your body sees the long gap between meals as a threat and goes into starvation mode; your system slows down to conserve energy. Three healthy meals and two snacks will keep your metabolism humming along and burning calories. Just be sure to choose your food wisely.

5.  Fill up on smart food –

Start each meal and snack with a protein. Not only does protein help your body build lean muscle, it also takes more calories to digest. Low-fat yogurt at breakfast, chicken added to your lunch-time salad and salmon for dinner, all make excellent choices. Try a few protein-rich walnuts for a between meal snack. They contain omega-3 fatty acids

Increase the foods you eat that slowly release sugar needed for energy; high-fiber fruits and vegetables, and whole-grain pastas and breads. Eating a food high in fiber three hours before your workout will also help you burn extra fat.

Sipping coffee can also help. Caffeine stimulates the production of adrenaline, which can speed up your metabolism. Research has shown that caffeine can significantly speed up your metabolic burn. Limit your caffeine intake to just two cups, ironically, too much caffeine can overtax your system resulting in fatigue.

6.  Eat breakfast –

Eating breakfast will signal your metabolism to switch on after a night of rest. That’s because your level of cortisol, a stress hormone, is at its highest just before you get up in the morning. Cortisol also helps you use calories to build muscle. When you eat in the morning, your body is at its peak to turn those calories into muscle – this is the only time of the day when this happens. Take advantage of this natural fat burning process.

7.  Get up off your butt –

Sitting too much slows your metabolism, even if you exercise regularly. Many of us sit in front of a computer all day, an easy way to keep your metabolism from slowing is to get up regularly to stretch and walk around. Scientists call this NEAT, or nonexercise activity thermogenesis, and it can boost your metabolism helping you to burn more calories and lose weight. Take advantage of every opportunity to walk and climb stairs, it can make a big difference.

8.  Go to bed –

When you deprive yourself of sleep you body responds by producing more cortisol which in turn triggers your appetite. At the same time, the lack of sleep has thrown your hunger hormones leptin and ghrelin out of whack making you more likely to overeat.

9.  Schedule an evening workout –

By doing a 20 to 30 minute moderate intensity cardio routine in the evening you can help keep your metabolism running smoothly all night. If you exercise at least two and a half hours before going to bed, the activity shouldn’t keep you awake.

10.  Check your medications –

Some medications like birth control pills, or antidepressants, can cause a significant drop in your metabolic rate. These drugs often slow metabolism because they affect the thyroid gland which regulates how our body uses energy, or calories. If you’ve recently started taking a new medication and notice you’re putting on weight, talk to your doctor to see if there are any alternatives that would be less likely to cause you to gain weight.