If you are working on your fitness level or if you are trying to lose weight, you have likely been told that it is essential for you to speed up your metabolism. But you might be wondering – how do I speed up my metabolism? Why should I speed up my metabolism? Vancouver personal trainer and Precision Athletics owner, Pepe Picco knows the importance of a healthy metabolism and offers up some tips and pointers to speed up your metabolism for real fat loss. 

The Importance of a Healthy Metabolism 

Pepe believes that in addition to healthy eating and training “You need your metabolism to do the work for you”. Your metabolism can be described as chemical changes that take place in your body. The food that you eat is changed to energy and is converted to nutrients, and this energy is used by your entire body to function. 

Everyone has a different metabolic rate and it is dependent on your sex, body, diet, and overall lifestyle and health. If you have a slower metabolism, this means that you will burn fewer calories. These calories will get stored in your body as fat, making it more challenging to lose weight. Those with a healthy metabolism are able to feel more energetic, lose weight easier, keep extra weight off, and have better sleeping habits.

“Rest is very important as your health and lifestyle choices will impact the rest of your life,” says Pepe. “Healthy people generally live longer, feel better and enjoy a higher quality of life than they would have otherwise”. It is important to increase your metabolic rate to a healthy range to live a long and healthy life. 

Why Am I Not Burning Off Excess Fat?

If you work out regularly, eat a relatively healthy diet, and are not losing weight, you may be wondering if you are doing something wrong. While healthy eating and exercise are extremely important in your weight loss journey, speeding up your metabolism is an important factor in burning off the excess fat. Just because you may be eating better and working out, it is a good idea to change your lifestyle in order to lose weight and be healthier. 

Pepe mentions that, “Lifestyle is a big factor. A person needs to change what they can with their daily habits and not just go with the flow with everything. Create a game plan and decide when you schedule cheat meals.” Remember that changing your lifestyle doesn’t mean that you can’t have a treat every now and then. Be realistic and come up with a plan that works for you in regards to your food, exercise, sleep, and stress that may come up. 

The expert Vancouver personal trainer says that it is important to “not be at the mercy of whatever just pops up. Stress is a big one under the lifestyle umbrella. This is not always something you can control completely but there are steps one can take to help mitigate its effect on you.”

By creating new lifestyle habits, you will be able to manage a healthy metabolism and overall healthy lifestyle. Life happens, so it’s essential to not get too down on yourself if you make unhealthy choices every now and then. Pepe agrees saying, “You just need to hop right back on the health wagon right away and not start a spiral in the wrong direction.”

Can I Speed Up My Metabolism if I Have Never Exercised?

If you have not started your fitness journey yet, you might wonder if it is possible to speed up your metabolism. The answer is, yes! According to Pepe, “There are lots of resources out there for the self-starter. We also recommend the help of an experienced fitness professional.” He has had major success with clients who have lost up to 100 pounds! The Vancouver personal trainers at Precision Fitness are extremely experienced in helping beginners speed up their metabolism and start their fitness journey. 

As a beginner, Pepe suggests these tips to begin to speed up your metabolism:

• Improve your sleep habits. This will help to regulate your hormones and provide you with physical and mental recovery. 
• Begin an exercise program. Make sure that your program includes both strength training and conditioning. You can work with one of Precision Athletics’ Vancouver personal trainers to help you get on the right track. 
• Start slow with light weights. Work on mastering your technique and then incrementally increase your resistance and training intensity as you go

Best Ways to Speed Up Your Metabolism 

Both beginners and experienced fitness enthusiasts alike benefit from speeding up their metabolism. While fad diets may be tempting to try, a consistent healthy lifestyle is most successful in losing weight, speeding up your metabolism, and staying fit. 

The best ways to speed up your metabolism are to: 

• Hydrate: Make sure that you are drinking before, during, and after your workouts. Try some healthy electrolyte drinks to replace lost electrolytes, but make sure to read the label to make sure that they aren’t packed with sugar. 

• Make healthy food choices: Pepe’s tips are to, “Keep your protein, vegetable, and water intake up and empty calories down, and limit alcohol”. Remember that it’s completely fine to have a treat and cheat meal every now and then, but see if you can try to plan these out. Increasing your protein intake can also be beneficial. 

• Get enough sleep: Aim for at least 8 hours of good sleep. A lack of sleep is connected to insulin resistance, which makes your body default to fat storage. Keep a regular sleep schedule to give your body and mind enough time to recalibrate, rest, and repair. 

• Exercise: HIIT workouts and weight lifting are ideal if you are looking to speed up your metabolism. Pepe says, “Strength conditioning or HITT elevated your heart rate and strength training increases your testosterone and muscle on your body. Muscle is the most metabolically active tissue in the body and proper testosterone can help to keep fat off.”

• Decrease stress: While stress is a normal part of life, there are ways that help to manage it. Start to incorporate habits like yoga and meditation into your daily life. With consistent and regular practice, you will start to see changes in your mood and way of thinking. 

Speed Up Your Metabolism Benefits

If you are new to exercise and speeding up your metabolism, according to Vancouver personal trainer Pepe, “Once your habits change, you can rid yourself of that incremental fat gain every year in sedentary individuals. The body ages far slower in people with healthy lifestyle habits.” 

He believes that the benefits of speeding up your metabolism are that: 

• Your body will function as it was intended.
• You will have a clear mind that is more productive.
• You will have balanced hormones that will cue you when you are actually tired and hungry.
• You will have a better mood and enough energy to sustain you throughout the day.

Speed Up Your Metabolism with Precision Athletics 

At Precision Athletics, our Vancouver personal trainers are extremely experienced with individuals who would like to speed up their metabolism. Whether you are completely new to working out or are experienced and would simply like more support, we have the right trainers and programs for you. 

From Personal Training to Semi-Private Specialized Personal Training and Nutrition, Precision Athletics can offer you the best program to meet your needs. If you are looking to get fit or maintain your healthy lifestyle, our team of professionals and Vancouver personal trainers has got you covered!