3 Exercises to Ramp Up Your Metabolism and 5 Must-Have Foods to Aid Weight Loss

While exercise alone rarely leads to significant weight loss, there are some exercises that can help boost your metabolism and make your weight loss diet more effective. By adding even one metabolism-boosting exercise into your daily routine, you can burn more calories even after the exercise so you can lose weight faster.

Here are 3 exercises to ramp up your metabolism:

1. Strength Training

Any type of strength training will help to permanently boost your metabolism. This is because muscles burn more calories while at rest than fat or anything else in your body, so by building up your muscles so that you have more of them, your body will begin burning more calories throughout the day without you having to do any extra work.

Try to do just 20 minutes of strength training every day, focusing on a different muscle group every day. You can use dumbbells, kettlebells, or other workout equipment if you want, but there are also a number of strength training exercises that use your body weight. That means that you can get in strength training anywhere and without needing to set up a home gym.

2. Interval Training

You can do interval training with nearly any type of aerobics or cardio exercise. Interval training helps you burn more calories than cardio exercise alone because most cardio exercises require doing them for a long period of time before you’re able to burn a decent number of calories. However, through interval training, you can burn more calories in less time and get a metabolism boost afterwards.

Interval training essentially involves pushing yourself as hard as you can for short bursts of time, then taking a period of rest in between where you’re still moving, but not pushing yourself. For example, if you are running for exercise, you might sprint as hard and fast as you can for 10 seconds, walk for 1 minute, and repeat that five times.

3. Burpees

This is an exercise that combines strength training and cardio, and is one of the best exercises to boost metabolism. It not only gets your heart rate going because it is a high intensity exercise, but it also works out all of your major muscle groups. That means you’ll get a temporary boost in metabolism from the cardio and a permanent boost from working your muscles.

To do a burpee, start from a standing position. Then, do a squat and end with your hands on the ground in front of you. Jump backwards with your feet into a push-up position and do a push-up. Jump your feet forward again and then leap upwards, reaching your hands as high into the air as you can. You can do these in sets or simply try to do as many as possible in a short amount of time.

Keep in mind that whatever exercises you do, they need to be in addition to having a healthy diet so they will boost your metabolism and help you lose weight. Most of the time, it takes hours of intense exercise to make up for poor eating habits, so start with good eating habits and then add these exercises to boost your metabolism.

Choosing the right foods will help you lose weight faster and then keep it off. These foods help in a variety of ways to ensure that you will be able to lose weight. When put together along with an overall healthy diet, then these five foods will aid in weight loss.

Here are 5 must-have foods to aid weight loss:

1. Leafy Greens

There are a number of plants that fall under this category that all work the same way to help you lose weight. The best are spinach, kale, swiss chard, and collards. The first way they help you lose weight is by providing you with a number of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. These work together to make sure your body is working the way it should.

The other way that these help you lose weight is because they are high in fiber. Fiber keeps your digestive system working the way it’s supposed to which helps you lose weight. It also makes you feel full for longer, which keeps you from eating too many snacks in between meals and can prevent you from eating too much as your next meal.

2. Whole Eggs

Contrary to what was believed for a while, the yolks of eggs are beneficial to people that want to lose weight. Recent studies have proven that whole eggs don’t increase cholesterol or increase your risk of heart attack. In fact, eating eggs will help you lose weight and are a vital part of low-carb diets since they are low in carbs but high in healthy fats and protein.

3. Cruciferous Vegetables

This family of vegetables include cabbage, broccoli, brussels sprouts, and cauliflower. Like leafy greens, they are high in fiber but low in carbs. They also contain surprisingly high amounts of protein compared to other vegetables, making them an excellent choice for people who want to lose weight. Additionally, they have a number of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

4. Salmon

Salmon, along with other oily fish like trout, mackerel, herring, and sardines are excellent for losing weight. The first way they can help you lose weight is by providing you with a good amount of healthy fat. These will help keep you feeling full for longer, and also do a lot for different processes in your body, especially your brain.

Another way that salmon and other fatty fishes can help you lose weight is the amount of iodine they contain. Many people don’t get enough iodine from their diets which can lead to low thyroid function. Because the thyroid controls metabolism, it’s important to keep it running the way it’s supposed to if you’re going to lose weight.

5. Chicken

Along with other white and lean meats, chicken can help you lose weight. This is because of the amount of protein it contains. Protein is a vital part of weight loss because of how much a high-protein diet can contribute to weight loss. In fact, studies have shown that by getting between 25 and 30 percent of your calories from protein, you can lose up to a pound a week just by reducing cravings.