1. Get Moving Early
Engaging in physical activity at the outset of the day jumpstarts the metabolic engine, prompting the body to burn calories and increase energy expenditure.
Moody suggests doing simple workouts such as backyard yoga or home weights. "The natural sunlight allows for more alertness during the day as it stimulates your natural circadian rhythm and can even remove your need for that caloric morning latte. More importantly, though, if you have trouble being active, getting out before the day begins is a great way to prevent you from talking yourself out of the gym later in the day. If you can engage in resistance training, that’s even better, as strength training has been shown to provide a great “afterburn effect."
In fact, working out can have a significant impact on your metabolism, as Moody notes, "Afterburn refers to the amount of calories you burn after exercise is over, so it represents a temporary increase in metabolism. With strength training, you can increase your metabolism by 9-11% for about 15-38 hours following a workout, according to a study done on obese males. This means if your resting metabolic rate is 2,000 calories, you could burn up to an additional 200 calories."
2. Add More Protein To Breakfast
Incorporating a higher protein intake into your breakfast routine stands as a potent morning habit with significant benefits for metabolism and weight loss. Protein-rich breakfasts not only provide a sustained feeling of fullness but also require more energy for digestion, thereby enhancing the thermic effect of food.
"Most people’s breakfast consists of things like toast, cereal, or bagels, which keeps them from losing weight. Many mistakenly blame carbs for this lack of weight management, but the truth is the issue isn’t too many carbs but not enough protein," says Moody.
She further adds that "not only can protein help manage hunger, but it promotes a greater feeling of hunger, but a higher amount of energy is required to burn protein than carbs or fat. This increases your TEF, or thermic effect of food. A certain amount of energy is used to digest food, and protein is the most energy-consuming macronutrient. You can increase your metabolism by 3% through fat digestion and by 10% through carbohydrate digestion, but by 30% through protein digestion. Basically, eating more protein can boost your metabolism, according to science."