We all want a healthy metabolism. Maybe you were born with a slow metabolism, or lifestyle choices have led to a slower metabolism. Some exercises can even lead to a slower metabolism…so if we are going to all that effort to get toned or lose weight…let’s do it right. There are workouts you can do to boost your metabolism…workouts for a healthy metabolism.
Strength Training: Have you ever heard of being the “skinny fat”. You know when your trim but still don’t have any muscle. Muscle is amazing! It gives us tone and a nice shape. It is an amazing tool to help us be physically able to do things. Never be ashamed of having muscle…and girls don’t worry about bulking up if you strength train. If you are worried about being to bulky google Zuzana Light. If you don’t want muscle then I guess don’t workout.
High Intensity: When you’re jogging, swimming, or running…switch up the intensity. Ramp up the intensity for about 30-60 seconds then return back to your normal speed for about 90 seconds. This helps increase the mitochondria in your cells and how quickly they burn throughout the day.
Enjoy the After Burn: After working out your body can take hours to recover and return to its resting metabolic rate. This is called excess post exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). Your body is burning more calories during this period of time even though you have stopped exercising.
Build Muscle: Muscle takes up less space than fat…and during rest burns more calories than fat and produces more heat…which equals healthy metabolism. 🙂 So what are some great exercises to build muscle?
From my experience the fastest way to gain muscle and build a healthy metabolism is through strength training. I prefer to do this through HIIT workout; high intensity interval training workouts. These are great because you can get a full body, muscle-building workout in a short amount of time. They build your muscles and your cardio. There are lots of places online you can go to find free instruction videos or you can make up your own.
I set my interval timer for 1-2 minutes and do 10-20 sets. I like to include body weight workouts that really push me.
Including:
Burpees: Start in standing position. Jump down to push-up position…do a pushup…jump back up to standing.
Squats: Put feet shoulder length apart. Squat down until thighs are parallel to the ground, return to standing position.
Planks: Lay down with stomach facing ground. Lift body up with toes and elbows touching the ground. Hold position.
Lunges: Start in standing position with one foot in front of other. Lower body until one knee is almost touching the ground and the other forms a right angle. Return to standing position.
Push-ups: Lay stomach facing ground. Place hands shoulder width apart. Lift body on hands and toes. Bring nose to ground and return to lifted position.
Jump tucks: Start standing. Jump bringing legs up until thighs are parallel to the ground or waist level.
Mountain climbers: Start in push-up position. Bring one leg forward in between hands jump and switch legs.
Want to add a little weight? No problem. I like these, and these.
If you have any confusion on how to do these google the exercise or look it up on YouTube. These are great exercises to boost your metabolism and build strength. These exercises are great to build strength. When we build strength we will automatically boost the metabolism. These workouts will help increase your metabolism.
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