ITV regular guest Dr Amir Khan, has shared five easy ways a person can boost their metabolism, as he moved to debunk a common myth. The full-time GP, who frequently features on daytime TV programmes like Good Morning Britain and This Morning, appeared on Lorraine last week to talk about the topic.
Dr Amir pointed out that contrary to popular belief, our metabolic rate isn’t set in stone; there are indeed ways to increase calorie burn. Speaking to stand-in presenter Christine Lampard, he advised: “The first thing [to do] is build more muscle.
“[You can do this by] strength training, and muscle helps you burn calories as you rest so if you’ve been to the gym, you’ve lifted weights, you’re still burning calories when you get home.”
He then suggested eating more protein, saying: “We need protein in our diet so things like fish, chicken, yoghurts, tofu, all of that will get protein in, feed that muscle, get it better and increase your resting metabolic rate. The third one is sleep.
“I know we talk about this a lot but getting a good night’s sleep helps protect you from rising hunger hormones, stop those cravings, and can help with metabolism, and then staying active [is also] really important. I use this acronym NEAT, it’s non-exercise activity training, so it’s not exercise or eating or anything like that.
“It’s the things you do in between like walking, taking the stairs, just even flailing around with your arms like I do all the time, it burns calories.” He then suggested people drink plenty of water, adding: “When you’re hydrated you burn more calories, your body’s more efficient at burning fat.”
He added there are specific beverages that might briefly boost metabolism, such as green tea and black coffee. Additionally, opting for cold water could have an extra benefit, as Dr Amir noted, “your body uses some calories warming it up to body temperature.”