Christmas is almost here, and so are all the amazing, delicious, calorically-dense foods!
If you’re concerned about not gaining weight this holiday (and even want to lose some bodyfat), you’ve got to keep your metabolism high to ensure you’re burning as many calories as possible.
These methods aren’t secret scientific strategies, but common sense lifestyle choices that ensure your metabolism is kept high. Here they are:
#1 – Choose to move more throughout the day.
Life has become pretty convenient, and for the better.
What once required plenty of physical effort to complete a simple task, now requires little to no effort.
Technology has allowed us to save our time and effort to get more done in less time, making us more productive than ever.
Unfortunately, it has also left us inactive and sedentary.
If you can move more, then do it.
If you can feasibly walk somewhere instead of driving, you probably should.
Play sports with the kids or watch a Netflix show together? Play sports.
Walk the dog or pay a dog walker to do it? Walk the dog yourself.
By moving more, you end up burning more calories each day, keeping you leaner and healthier in the long-run.
#2 – Sleep!
Sleep is one of the few things in life that humans literally cannot live without.
When you deprive yourself of sleep, or even simply cut back on a few hours, your bodily processes go absolutely whack.
Your hormones get thrown off, your appetite goes up, your ability to heal and recover goes down, and your metabolism slows down.
Getting 7-8 hours of sleep is a good place to start. If you feel absolutely perfect with 6 hours a night, or cannot get less than 9 hours a night without feeling sub-optimal, then obviously your needs a slightly different.
#3 – Avoid going low/no-carb.
Carbs have been vilified for the past decade.
“If you want to easily burn off body fat, you gotta ditch all the carbs.”
Now, if you were to go low/no-carb, you will most likely see some quick fat loss.
As a tool for hunger control and a method of simple eating, sure, low/no-carb has its merits, and many have lost weight this way.
However, there are downsides to slashing carbs, one of them being a slowed down metabolism.
You see, carbohydrate consumption increases your body’s levels of active thyroid hormone. Thyroid essentially acts as your body’s thermostat – the higher it is, the higher your metabolism is.
By including sensible carbohydrate sources, such as fruits, tubers, & certain other starches (like grains/legumes/oats), you’ll ensure you’re consuming filling, nutritious, healthy foods while stimulating your thyroid production and raising your metabolism.
#4 – Start resistance-training regularly.
Strength training is the basis for a healthy, injury-proof body and high metabolism. Here’s why:
First of all, strength training improves coordination, conditions the cartilage/ligaments/tendons, increases bone density, and of course, strengthens the muscles.
All of these factors combined will reduce your risk for injury, ensuring you can keep moving day after day without a hitch (which will keep your metabolism up!)
Second, muscle mass burns plenty of calories at rest. This makes muscle a very valuable tissue to have. But if you don’t challenge your muscles, you will inevitably lose them over time. Inactivity is the reason why so many become frail as they get older – due to muscle loss.
With these 4 strategies, you can keep your metabolism churning, which will help you keep off excess body fat and even lose some!
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