Most of us have had to battle the weighing scale at one point of our lives, and fail miserably at it too. The sinking feeling you get when you see the kilos adding up on the scale is devastating. The reason your body is slowly turning into a blob of fat may be due to the lethargic metabolism in your body.

Metabolism is the process by which your body converts what you eat and drink into energy. During this complex biochemical process, calories in food and beverages are combined with oxygen to release the energy your body needs to function. Even when you’re at rest, your body needs energy for all its “hidden” functions, such as breathing, circulating blood, adjusting hormone levels, and growing and repairing cells. The number of calories your body uses to carry out these basic functions what you might call metabolism.

Now isn’t that the dream, sitting idle and burning calories at the same time. Now, to start turning your body into a fat burning machine, you can follow these guidelines to boost your metabolism.

TEA BREAK

Tea can be beneficial in revving your metabolic rate. But don’t order your sugar infused pick-me-up cup of tea yet. Substitute your regular ‘chiya’ for a cup of green tea. You’re just adding unnecessary sugar to your diet with the frequent cups of tea throughout the day, and that can work against you in losing weight. Green tea is probably the only indulgence that can boost your immunity, reduce your cardiovascular risk, and bump up your metabolism for zero calories. So, get yourself some green tea.

DON’T SKIP BREAKFAST

Having a balanced breakfast works wonders in improving your metabolic rate throughout the day. Include protein-rich foods like eggs or nuts on your breakfast menu. Consuming protein is critical to jumpstarting your metabolism for the day and preventing overeating later. Avoid sugar-heavy cereals and pastries, which can spike and then dip your blood sugar levels, causing you to get hungry later in the morning.

PORTION CONTROL

Before you start on your crash diets, you must remember: starving your self can be counterproductive in your mission to lose weight. However, that does not mean that you can get away with stuffing your face. To lose weight you will have to cut the size of the portions of your meals and increase the number of meals you have per day. This will kick your metabolism up a notch and the fat burning process will pick up pace.

GET YOUR MOVE ON

A healthy metabolism requires regular movement, so sitting at one place for hours straight will not help you lose weight. If you’ve got a desk job that requires you to sit on a spot all day you can do a few exercises to stop your body from going into sleep mode.

GET YOUR SLEEP

You may be burdened with an extremely busy schedule, but a good amount of shut eye is necessary not only for your metabolism but a healthy lifestyle as well. Sleep deprivation revs up your appetite-stimulating hormones and leads to a sluggish metabolism. Try and squeeze in seven to eight hours of sleep a day.

SPICE IT UP

Adding a little heat to your menu helps in increasing your metabolism hours after finishing your meal. For those of you who sport a fiery palate, this is good news. But make sure you don’t overdo it, the morning after may not be too kind on you.

WORKOUT

You’ve been told this so many times, it seems pointless to repeat it again. But that’s what we’re paid to do, so here goes: exercise is good for you! While all workouts can lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and stress levels, strength training jump-starts your metabolism. Basically, the more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism will become.

DRINK LIKE A FISH

Drinking water has been proven to encourage calorie burn in the body. Drinking water and eating water-based foods also can make you feel full, preventing you from overeating at mealtime. But don’t overdo it, try and drink moderate amount of water between intervals rather than guzzling liters of it in one go!

NEVER GO JOGGING

Instead of low intensity, steady state exercises, opt for interval exercises which push your body to shift quickly from carbs to fat while boosting your metabolism hours afterward. You can try time specific intervals to light up the fire: Run hard for 20 seconds and recover for the next 40 seconds. You can also do this with weights and calisthenics. 10 minutes of this should be plenty to get the ball rolling.