Easy Ways To Increase Your Fat Metabolism

What is fat metabolism?

The body's metabolism is the process of breaking down foods and compounds to make energy or for another bodily function. When the body is working hard such as during exercise we want to increase the chance of breaking down fat cells rather than using our glycogen (carbohydrates) for fuel to increase fat loss.

Lipolysis is the breakdown of fat from the stored fat cells - the extra fat you have stored around your body.

The enzyme sensitive lipase is essential for this breakdown to occur so making sure you get certain foods into your diet as detailed below will increase your stimulation of this enzyme.

If you are looking to boost your calorie burn or lose weight try some of these simple tips to help further break down stored fat as well as the calories you burn during exercise.

Build Muscle

Many people focus too much on the scales when they are trying to lose weight. One of the best ways to increase the calorie burn and breakdown of fat is to build more muscle. Including weights and resistance exercise into your training sessions will help increase your percentage of muscle. The more muscle you have the more calories are used to fuel them as they take a lot more energy to make them function.

Drink More Water

Water is essential for chemical reactions in particular those used in lipolysis (breakdown of fat). If you are dehydrated then the body cannot distribute enough water to increase fat metabolism because it must save it for other life sustaining reactions.

The most important glass of water is in the morning after you are extremely dehydrated during the night.

Spice Up Your Meals

Adding spices such as chilli's and peppers to your meals can boost your metabolism and help to increase your body burning fat. It has been seen that eating spicy foods can increase your metabolism by up to 8% which in turns burns more calories. Although this in itself probably wont see you lose weight but the increased metabolism actually makes you feel fuller and therefore less likely to eat more during a meal. Try adding peppers to a salad or into a hot meal like spaghetti bolognese.

See Also: The One Best Way To Increase Your Metabolism

Increase Protein Intake

This is a very simple change to your diet but can make a significant difference. Eating a higher protein diet is the same as a low carb diet because your are substituting the carbohydrate's for protein. Try making your main meals around protein rather than carb based products such as bread. The reason this helps shift fat and burn more stored fat is because it takes four times more calories to break down proteins than other foods. So this increase will help the body choose to break down stubborn stored fat to metabolise protein.

Drink Black Coffee To Burn Fat

Many weight loss products and supplements contain high amounts of caffeine because of its fat burning effect. As well as being a stimulate for the brain and making you feel more alert caffeine stimulates an increased metabolism which will burn more calories. Drinking a black coffee in the morning will target stored fat because you are in a starved state and have no fresh calories to break down. 

Decrease Stress Levels

It is a well known fact that stress is directly linked to fat storage. Try to lower the amount of stress you have on a daily basis to decrease the chance of fat being stored, if you are relaxed and happy your body releases hormones that will increase the break down of fat instead of storing it. Join a yoga class or take a gentle walk of an evening to get rid of the days stress.

Get To Bed Earlier

Sleep is an essential part of recovery and well being. You should be getting at least 7-8 hours of rest a night which is settled and undisturbed. If you fail to get this much needed rest you feel sluggish and tired throughout the day and are more likely to snack and eat the wrong foods. Also if you are tired you are more prone to stress which in fact increases the chance of storing fat as discussed earlier. Get to bed earlier if you think you are not getting enough and avoid watching TV or using devices just before bed to make sure you go into a peaceful sleep.

Drink Green Tea

Green tea has been shown to be a great supplement to aid in fat loss. There are many studies that have shown the benefits from drinking green tea everyday and burning up to 10% more body fat. Again many diet and weight loss supplements contain green tea extract as its essential in aiding fat metabolism.

High Intensity Exercise

Exercise in any form will boost metabolism and burn calories. But there are certain types that are better at actually targeting those fat stores than others, gentle walking for example doesn't target fat stores but simply burns excess calories. High intensity interval training receives a lot of press in the fitness industry as its short burst of very high intensity exercise is great for targeting those fat stores. Because the body has to work so hard it takes in huge amounts of oxygen and this is what forces us to break down fats because it requires 15% more oxygen to breakdown fat than other fuels.

See Also: 6 Best Exercises That Will Boost Your Metabolism

Combining all of these simple tips into your daily routine will see a great change in your fat metabolism. Any one tip alone will not see any significant changes but try adding a black coffee to your morning routine or supplementing that afternoon latte for a green tea as well as including some muscle building work to see a change. Good luck!