6 Proven Ways to Get Your 20s Metabolism Back
Some things from that decade of your life-scrunchies, anyone?-are better left in the past. But that effortlessly slim waistline? Definitely worth reclaiming. Try these tips to slide right back into your favorite pair of skinny jeans. By Cathy Garrard, REDBOOK.
Plug in your coffee pot
Caffeine not only gets your brain clicking on more cylinders in the morning, it may help bolster your metabolism, too. A Danish study found that caffeine increases the number of calories you burn at rest by as much as 25 percent for three hours after it's ingested. Other research discovered that caffeine also makes you inclined to eat less, meaning your body will have fewer stored calories to burn.
Related: 21 Ways to Burn Fat Faster
Eggs benny, anyone?
If you've always been a bagel girl, switching to eggs for your morning meal may help you slim down. Dieters who ate eggs for breakfast five days a week had a 61 percent lower BMI, a 34 percent smaller waistline, and 16 percent less body fat than those who noshed on bagels, according to a study published in the journal Nature.
Gulp down water
And plenty of it. Researchers from the University of Utah found that people who drank eight-or even a dozen-glasses of water a day burned more calories than those who sipped only four. And other research suggests you're better off drinking it cold, since your body has to work harder-and thus burn more calories-to raise its temperature to match your internal thermometer.
Related: How to Finally Halt Emotional Eating
Do a high-intensity interval workout
Exercising in powerful bursts consumes more oxygen than slow-but-steady sweat sessions, stoking your metabolism in the process. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, high-intensity intervals keep calories burning faster up to 24 hours after you kick off your sneakers. So next time you're on the treadmill, crank up the belt speed for a minute or two a few times during a 30-minute walk.
Spice up your next meal
Whether you're eating at your local Thai restaurant or cooking at home, it's smart to turn up the heat. Capsaicin, the compound that gives peppers their fiery flavor, raises your body temperature and your metabolic rate, according to the Journal of Biological Chemistry. Spicy food not your fave? Look for capsaicin tablets at your local health food store.
Related: 25 Lazy Ways to Burn Extra Calories Just Like That
Sip a cup of green tea
Not only can it help fight off an afternoon energy slump, green tea may help pick up the pace of your metabolism, too. In addition to its calorie-torching caffeine content, it also contains compounds known as catcheins, which have also been shown to ramp up metabolic speed and fat burning.
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