Genetics do determine your metabolism. But genetics do not condemn you to a slow metabolism. There are ways to increase your metabolism.
1. Increase your Omega 3 fatty acid intake. Omega 3 fatty acids help stabilize your blood glucose levels and cholesterol. Blood sugar or glucose levels provide the energy necessary to exercise. And exercise is essential to boosting your metabolism. You can find omega 3 fatty acids in fish. Try to add this into your diet at least twice a week. Otherwise, you can find omega 3 in supplement form.
2. Perform interval training. Interval training ‘shocks’ your body, forcing it to burn calories faster. Interval training involves increasing the intensity of the cardio exercise you are doing for 30 to 90 second intervals. If you are using the treadmill or stationary bike, increase the speed substantially for 60 seconds every six minutes. After 60 seconds, reduce the speed to your previous speed. Repeat for the length of your workout.
3. Increase lean muscle mass through resistance training. Muscle burns fat at a much higher rate than fat, even when at rest. If you increase the percentage of lean muscle mass on your body, your metabolism will increase. Muscle burns 50 calories per minute at rest while fat burns only 5!
4. Eat small regular meals. Do not restrict your calorie intake to under 1000 calories per day. This will slow your metabolism. Instead eat small meals every 3 to 5 hours. This forces your body to continuously use and burn the calories being consumed. Your body will burn the calories more efficiently and will be less likely to store the calories as fat.
5. Don’t stress. Allowing stress to overtake you will slow your body functions, including metabolism. Chronic or extreme stress can lead to depression which also slows the metabolism. If you feel stress overwhelming you, schedule a massage or try yoga.