Just in time for the holidays! As we edge closer to 2022, it's time to audit our habits, beliefs, and direction in life. While we should constantly be seeking self-improvement, the turn of the calendar has a way of shocking our system and bringing our future into focus. Between the cold weather and the holidays, it's easy to see why so many of us put on a little winter padding. Amidst all the fun, we can still take a few steps to prime our bodies for the post-winter thaw. Before we enjoy another few days of family and feasting to cap off our year, let's dig into these five easy ways to accelerate your metabolic rate.
HIIT, or High-Intensity Interval Training, is often performed in a quick-changing circuit utilizing a variety of workout modalities. Through the use of weights, plyometrics, calisthenics, and much more, HIIT training keeps the body guessing while raising the heart rate to the aerobic zone. The effect of this total body exercise regimen is a prolonged calorie burn, mitigating a percentage of the added caloric load you're sure to indulge in during the holidays.
Amidst a sea of traditional holiday foods - pies, roasts, gravies and root veggies, it's hard to find a spicy dish worked in our wintry diet. Break from tradition and add a little heat to your diet, and if you already eat spicy, add a little more. Capsaicin, the chemical compound found in the seeds of hot peppers, has an impressive metabolism boosting impact. Be sure to get your hot pepper inclusions in a variety of ways. Hot sauces packed with sodium and preservatives don't count any more than ketchup counts for your lycopene consumption.
A majority of your body is water. Our blood is water based, our organs require water to function, and our muscles require oxygenated blood to thrive. Without water, we lose it all. However, we shouldn't rely on and scare tactics to amplify our sense of urgency. Despite how easy it can be to allow inadequate water consumption to sap us of our strength, we can just as easily maximize our physical potential through good hydration.
The "thermic effect of food" describes the body's increased caloric burn during the digestion and metabolisation of food. While it's obvious your body can't outpace the food you're eating, not all foods engage the body's digestive processes identically. The thermic impact of complete proteins, for instance, far surpasses that of saturated fats. During efforts to add muscle, for many reasons an increase of protein is absolutely necessary. The thermic effect is among them.
Caffeine is the world's most consumed drug, and while it doesn't carry the same rap as other illegal or once illegal substances do, it can have damaging and addictive effects on the body. However, when consumed responsibly, caffeine, especially in the forms of green tea and black coffee, can boost your metabolism. Caffeine raises the level of ephinephrine, also known as adrenaline, in the blood. This increase releases fatty acids into the blood that can be burned through good dieting and exercise. As the core ingredient in many scams, diet pills, and other potentially dangerous fads over the years, be wary of your consumption of caffeine. Like many things in life, it is a double-edged sword.