“My metabolism has slowed down!”

Have you said these words?

I’ve heard them thousands of times from women I work with who are struggling to lose weight.

But the good news you aren’t doomed to have a slow metabolism forever.

There are some easy steps you can get started on RIGHT away to boost your metabolism and effortlessly drop extra pounds.

So let’s dive right in…

#1. Lift Heavy Weights

Metabolism slow-down isn’t an aging thing. It’s an inactivity thing. 

As we get older we naturally tend to move less. Maybe you used to run around outside all day, climb trees, or play sports. I’m guessing not so much anymore, right?

Instead, you’re probably spending most of your day sitting at a desk, driving in a car, or sitting on your couch where movement and lifting things is a rare occasion.

With that lack of movement comes muscle loss. And the dreaded metabolism slow-down is caused by this slow loss of muscle overtime.

So, get moving to build that muscle back up with weight training a few times a week. A consistent strength training routine is going to build back up that lost muscle and fuel that metabolism.

#2. Try Shorter, More Intense Workouts

Ok cardio bunnies this one’s for you.

Those long hours of doing cardio are actually doing more harm than good.

Spending hours on the treadmill burns off that hard burned muscle and all that pushing increases inflammation and throws those hormones out of whack…

…so your body ends up storing more fat.

So push harder with your workouts. Shorten them up. 

Incorporate interval training over those long, steady state cardio sessions.

Interval training preserves muscle, increases calorie burn, and even saves you time so you’re more likely to be consistent.

#3. Get That Protein In

I’ve worked with a lot of women over the years and one area I often see them fall short is in the protein department.

Protein not only helps you build that metabolism-boosting muscle after your workouts, but it also helps you feel full and satisfied from your meals.

That means you’ll naturally eat less and feel less hungry throughout the day. A double whammy when it comes to weight loss! 

So focus on getting in some clean protein at each meal.

#4. Kick The Snacking Habit to the Curb

So you’ve probably heard that you have to eat 5-6 meals every 2-3 hours to keep your metabolism revved.

Well I’m calling baloney on that one! Actually, the research agrees with me 🙂

There is no benefit to eating more often and all that picking and grazing may be what’s keeping you stuck. 

When we snack all day our blood sugar is on a constant roller coaster and our insulin stays elevated. Both of these tell your body to store fat.

And when you’re munching all day instead of eating actual meals, you’ll tend to eat more and feel hungrier leaving you reaching for the next snack.

It’s no wonder I could down a box of granola bars in a day and barely notice I ate them…

#5. Drink More Water

You probably know water is good for you, but you may be underestimating just how important water really is.

Even mild dehydration can lower metabolism as your body slows things down to compensate.

And hunger can often just be your body craving some water. 

So instead of reaching for a snack, which you now know is a bad idea, try guzzling a glass of water and see how that makes you feel!

#6. Move More During The Day

Workouts are great, but you can’t just stop there. It’s not enough to spend 20-30 minutes working out only to follow that up by sitting on your butt for 14 hours non-stop.

Our bodies crave movement so make sure to get it regularly throughout the day.

Stand up at your desk to take a sit break.

Go for a quick walk. 

Now that you’re drinking more water you’ll also be making more trips to the bathroom so rather than seeing it as a burden see it as a great way to move more.

Movement also includes getting in fun activities in like playing with your kids instead of sitting on the sidelines or dancing around to your favorite music when you get home from work.

#7. Stop Starving Yourself

Diets are the devil. Ok, maybe they’re not the devil but many of them are often doing more harm than good…especially those low calorie diets. 

Low calorie diets have been shown to lower the metabolism. And not just during the diet, but afterwards too!

If you’ve been on multiple low calorie diets and find they don’t work as well as they used to you know what I’m talking about.

Our bodies are smart and adaptable. 

When we go low calorie the body goes into survival mode. When your body thinks you may be starving it will slow down your metabolism to conserve energy. And muscle is very metabolically active, so guess what?

Your body will break down muscle first to conserve energy and store fat in case you need it for fuel later.

Actually a huge percentage of weight loss from low calorie diets is just water and muscle. 

I already mentioned the importance of maintaining and building muscle so the last thing you want to do is lose more of it if your goal is long term fat loss!

So while that low calorie diet may seem to work temporarily with the number on the scale, it’s setting you up for failure in the long run by making that extra fat hard to keep off.

So which of these metabolism boosting tips will you give a try? Let me know in a comment below!