Wouldn't it be nice if you could eat whatever you wanted, blow off
working out and still fit in your skinny jeans? While that's unlikely,
it is possible to speed up your metabolism, that little engine in your
body that burns calories. As you age, your metabolism slows down,
chiefly because you lose around a half pound of muscle each year. "If
you don't use the muscle, it atrophies," explains Pamela Peeke, M.D.,
professor of medicine at the University of Maryland and author of
Fight Fat After Forty.
That translates into burning about 400 fewer calories each day, which
could mean gaining a pound a week. But there's plenty you can do to rev
your fat-burning furnace back up again, says Peeke. Here's the skinny:
Stock up on green tea
Green tea isn't known only for its cancer-fighting benefits: It may
help boost your metabolism, too. People who took green-tea extract three
times a day saw their metabolic rate increase by about 4 percent,
according to a study published in the December 1999
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
(Translation: You could burn an extra 60 calories a day, which equals
about six pounds a year!) It may be because green tea contains
catechins, which increase levels of the metabolism-speeding brain
chemical norepinephrine, says Joy Bauer, a New York City nutritionist
and author of
Cooking with Joy.
Pump iron
Weight training is the ultimate way to burn calories fast. "A pound of
muscle burns up to nine times the calories of a pound of fat," explains
Richard Cotton, M.A., chief exercise physiologist for myexerciseplan.com.
Weight training increases your resting metabolic rate, which is the
number of calories you burn while sitting on your butt. What's more, it
gives your metabolism an added boost after you exercise: It remains in
overdrive for up to two hours after the last bench press, according to a
study published in
Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.
Strapped for time? Try these quick moves: squats, bench step-ups,
lunges, push-ups, pull-ups and crunches. In a pinch, just do single sets
of 10 for each exercise -- you'll get optimal results for the time
invested.
Eat iron
Yeah, we just told you to pump
iron, but you also need to eat it. "If you don't have enough of this
mineral, your body can't get enough oxygen to your cells, which slows
down your metabolism," explains Samantha Heller, R.D., a nutritionist at
the New York University Medical Center. Most multivitamins contain
around 18 mg (the RDA for adults); you can also get your fill by eating
three to four daily servings of foods rich in iron, such as lean red
meat, chicken, fortified cereal and soy nuts. If you are feeling
symptoms such as fatigue and weakness, ask your doctor to test you for
anemia (it's a simple blood test) at your next physical.
Order water -- and ask for a refill
A new German study found
that when you drink 17 ounces of water (about two glasses) within a
certain time frame, your metabolic rate shoots up by about 30 percent.
Using these results, they estimate that by increasing your current water
intake by 1.5 liters a day, a person would burn an extra 17,400
calories a year, resulting in about a five-pound weight loss.
Get your thyroid checked
Suspect you have a sluggish metabolism? You might have hypothyroidism,
or an underactive thyroid gland, which afflicts about 25 percent of
American women -- many of whom don't know they have the condition,
according to the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. "The
thyroid gland controls your body's metabolism, so one of the first
signs that it may be off is an inability to lose weight," explains
Peeke. Your doctor can determine if you're suffering from hypothyroidism
by running a blood test. If you do have an underactive thyroid, you'll
be treated with a synthetic thyroid supplement, which you will need to
take for the rest of your life (it will return your metabolism to
normal, so it should be easier to lose weight).
Avoid alcohol
Want to keep your favorite meals from going straight to your hips
(thighs, belly)? Wash them down with water, not wine. Alcohol slows your
metabolism by depressing the central nervous system. A British study
found that when alcohol was added to a high-fat, high-calorie meal, less
dietary fat was burned off and more was stored as body fat.
Rev up your workouts
Interval training -- in which you add bursts of high-intensity moves
into your workout -- is a surefire metabolism booster, says Glenn
Gaesser, Ph.D., director of the Kinesiology Program at the University of
Virginia and author of
The Spark. Researchers at Laval
University in Quebec found that high-intensity interval training burns
more fat than regular, consistent aerobic exercise. If you usually jog
at a 10-minute-mile pace, for example, add a 30-second sprint every five
minutes. Or add a one-minute incline to your treadmill workout every
five minutes. "Even if you just have 10 minutes for a quick workout, you
can walk at a normal pace and then add in a 30-second bout of
speed-walking every three minutes," recommends Gaesser.
21 Ways to Burn Fat Faster (8 - 15)
Source http://www.redbookmag.com/health-wellness/losing-weight/burn-fat-yl
