As a former personal trainer and fitness professional I pay a lot of attention to what goes on in my body, particularly what is going on with my metabolism. I can usually tell when I have done something to speed up my body's calorie burn or if I have been slacking off a little.
To be quite honest my body has been feeling less like a calorie burning machine lately so I wanted to remind myself of a couple simple and practical ways to kick off my metabolism every morning. Here are 3 easy ways to jump-start your metabolism from bembu.com.
1. Drink Lemon Water
This piece of advice has been out there for a long time but it still remains constant. Lemon water in the morning helps your body in multiple ways. Lemon water aids in your body's digestive process by stimulating digestive juice production in the stomach. This helps break down the food in your stomach which in turn keeps your metabolism running smoothly.
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It is important to make sure that your lemon water is not too cold. Cold water will shock your system in the morning instead of working with it. Now if this extra step of heating up your water in the morning is too much trouble, then just leave a small pitcher of water on your counter overnight so it is at room temperature in the morning.
I know this may sounds counterintuitive, but don't drink lemon water throughout the day. One glass in the morning is enough to kick start your system. The reason you want to limit yourself to one glass a day is actually for the health of your teeth (which I recently found out from my dentist). When you leave acid on your teeth without rinsing it off it wears away at your enamel. Having healthy teeth is just as important as having a healthy body, so stick to one glass of lemon water a day so you can have a healthy digestive system and healthy teeth.
2. Lift Weights
Lifting weights in the morning is a great way to boost your metabolism! Lifting weights builds muscle and building muscle helps your body burn fat. By lifting weights in the morning you are having your body burn fat as its first task of the day kicking it into a fat burning mode that lasts even after your workout is over. And the best part is you only have to do 20 minutes of weight lifting to start boosting your metabolism.
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I remember learning about this metabolism boosting trick many years ago and ever since I have made it a priority to workout in the morning. Working out in the morning, whether that is cardio or weight training, really does make a difference in my energy level and I can tell that my body is still working and burning calories after my workout is over.
You do not just have to do weight training to build muscle. Many exercises build muscle such as yoga, running, and cycling to name a few. These exercises just need to be performed more vigorously if you want them to be muscle building. For example, to get your metabolism going when practicing yoga, do a yoga flow that is a little more challenging and involves some hand and arm balances for an intense muscle workout.
3. Eat Eggs
Eating eggs in the morning provides your body with a good amount of protein which helps boost your metabolism. Eggs are a pretty amazing food as they are high in nutrition and protein but are low in calories. For many of you eating eggs every morning might sound amazing! But there are those of us out there (like me) who may not be able to stomach eating an egg every day.
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Don't worry, there are other solutions. :) The reason eating eggs in the morning is so good for you is because of the protein. Yes, eggs do have other amazing health benefits, but if you are mainly wanting to use them as a morning protein source you can substitute other proteins.
Some great breakfast protein alternatives include chia seeds, almond butter, peanut butter, and yogurt. Sometimes you can even combine these high protein ingredients for a super high protein breakfast. A really simple way to do this is mixing chia seeds with yogurt and letting the mixture refrigerate overnight. In the morning the mixture will be like a pudding as the chia seeds will have expanded and softened. Top your chia pudding with fresh fruit and a little honey for a hint of sweetness and you're good to go.
To sum up, the 3 ways to boost your metabolism every morning are to drink lemon water, lift weights, and eat eggs/protein for breakfast. I will definitely be putting these three metabolism boosters into practice!
Now all I need to do is buy a bag of chia seeds. ;)
~Hannah
