Let’s talk metabolism — it’s a hot topic as many of us may wish we had a speedier one. But, the good news is that while there are genetic differences in how our bodies convert food and drinks into energy, it’s not just a matter of winning the biological lottery — you can actually boost your metabolism in a number of ways, including with exercise!
How Exercise Improves Metabolism
Improving your metabolism is all about getting your body to burn more calories by default. There are different ways to go about this, but when it comes to exercise, you’ll want your body to burn more calories during and after you work out. How does that happen?
You’ll want to pick the most metabolically-optimized workouts (we’ll get to those), which also keep your body burning and burning and burning even after your sweat session is over (yes, this is a real thing!). This is called “afterburn.” As for what these optimized workouts are? Keep reading!
Best Metabolism-Boosting Workouts
#1 HIIT
HIIT stands for “high-intensity interval training” — in layman’s terms, it’s a booty-kicking workout. These blasts of cardio are scientifically proven to burn calories for up to 24-hours post-workout and may improve your overall metabolism. And the best part? A little goes a long way here. A short HIIT workout is as effective as a longer, non-HIIT workout when it comes to metabolism.
Start here: HIIT For Beginners
#2 Tabata
One of the most well-known metabolism-improving workouts is Tabata. This specific subcategory of HIIT uses 20 seconds of high-intensity training followed by a 10-second rest and is known to keep your metabolism revved well after you’re done working out.
Start here: Beginner Tabata
#3 Weight Lifting
Strengthening your muscles can turn you into a calorie-burning machine. Muscle, by nature, requires more calories than fat (therefore, more muscle = more calories burned). By increasing your muscle mass, you’re increasing your capacity for calorie burn… ie, your metabolism.
Start here: Ultimate Full Body
#4 Lower Body Workouts
On that note of muscle burning more calories — larger muscle groups burn even more calories. Where can we find the largest muscle groups in the body? Legs! In other words… it’s leg day.
Start here: Lower Body Build
Move More
Kicking your own booty is great, and everything, but have you tried going on a walk lately? If you’re sitting a lot (i.e., you have a desk job or something of that nature), it’s like your body is sleeping all day long — so kick up the movement in general! Incorporating some of these metabolism-boosting workouts into your routine will be great for a number of reasons, but don’t forget this simple rule for better health and wellness: just move more.
Think about the hummingbird: in constant motion, always moving — with the fastest metabolism in the animal kingdom. So get up, walk around, take your dog out for a stroll, stretch… and then when you’re ready to take it up a notch, try some Tabata and lower-body burning strength routines.
We’ll see you in class.
