Author: Nicola Addison Category: Fitness, Personal Training, Weight Loss
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How to make your metabolism work for you.

Eat your Breakfast!  Let’s start at the beginning of the day – Break the fast!  Don’t skip breakfast as this actually slows down your metabolism as your body has to adjust to cling on to any nutrients and calories it can find.  Your metabolism is the fireplace and wood is the breakfast- keep the fire burning!
News BBC Health  Wikipedia Metabolism

Avoid excessive caffeine and undue stress as these can reduce the rate of metabolism greatly. Breathing exercises and meditation techniques can help provide your body with plenty of oxygen and provide great relief from stress.  

Exercise regularly – We all know that the more we move the more calories we are burning. If you exercise early in the morning it sets the tone for your body throughout the day. There are many different types of exercise you can do but increasing your lean muscle mass- i.e. weight training helps to increase your basal metabolic rate.  So build that muscle in the studio to give your metabolism a boost!  Wikipedia Basal Animal Metabolic Rate

Eat More Often – this may sound deceiving but in order to prevent your body from storing fat which it does to conserve energy, it’s good to eat smaller meals throughout the day instead of a couple of big meals. Try to eat 4- 6 small meals 2-3 hours apart throughout the day which will prevent excess calories being taken in at a faster rate than your body can burn.

Hot Pepper  Capsaicin – a chemical found in jalapeno and cayenne peppers – temporarily stimulates your body to release more stress hormones, which speeds up your metabolism and causes you to burn more calories so if you can handle the spice, go extra on the peppers!

Green Tea – contains antioxidants and also gently speeds up the brain and nervous system which burns more calories. So ditch the English Breakfast Tea for a couple of cups of Green Tea instead! If you’re not sure about the taste; add a slice of lemon or a little honey

Cinnamon – this is great for helping your body to metabolise sugar and balance your blood sugar levels. It also helps to keep sugar cravings at bay, just don’t go for the cinnamon doughnut option- try it on a bit of fruit, and on your porridge in the morning- be healthy with it! 

Keep moving throughout the day too – Stand up from your desk and walk around the office, go up and down the stairs a few times, park further away or play with the dog. If you use these little bursts of energy throughout the day then your metabolism will stay revved up and you’ll keep burning more calories without having to do marathon sessions in the gym every night!

Get some good shut eye – Sleep deprivation increases production of the chemical cortisol which in turn increases hunger and reduces your ability to tell when you are full. It also interferes with the body’s ability to metabolise carbohydrates and leads to more fat storage so try and get a few early nights if you want to keep the weight off. 
Wikipedia Cortisol  Telegraph Health News

Nicola Addison 
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