Supercharge your metabolism in 24 hours

Can you really change your metabolism?

The good news is you can eat and exercise to increase your daily calorie-burn dramatically. We've rounded up the health experts to tell you what food and drink burns-off calories, and the simple changes you can make every day to send that metabolism sky high.

What exactly is metabolism?

"The term 'metabolism' is the rate at which your body performs all of its functions. It's made-up of three components; your basal metabolic rate, which is the amount of energy you need for your body to function at rest, and burn calories at-rest; physical activity level, the amount of energy required to carry-out daily activities, and the thermogenic effect of food; the amount of energy required to digest and absorb food," says Jennie Cockcroft, Nutritional Director for Purely Nutrition. (purelynutritional.com)

Eat breakfast

According to Samar Tarabay, a nutritionist from Holland & Barrett (hollandandbarrett.com), "your metabolism slows-down overnight, as no food is consumed for around nine to 12 hours. When you skip breakfast, you signal your metabolism to slow-down; your body thinks it needs to conserve energy as food is in short supply. Breakfast kick-starts the metabolism, reminding it to get moving. If you're skipping breakfast, your metabolism continues to 'sleep' and not engage in fat-burning activities until you wake it up at lunchtime.'

Vitamins and minerals to give you a boost

"Increase your intake of iodine, zinc and selenium for thyroid health, which governs the metabolism. Calcium speeds up your metabolism, so try to keep moving, as this encourages the lymph system to move faster," advises Jacquie Lane, Nutritional Therapist and Director of Studies at the College of Naturopathic Medicine. (naturopathy-uk.com)

Drink green tea

Green tea contains polyphenols called catechins, which aids liver detox, thus enabling effective metabolism of fats and toxins. Green tea also contains thermogenic which gives the metabolism a nudge to work more effectively,' says Lane.

Go for a walk

Jump off the bus a step early or take the stairs. According to Lane, you should "increase your walking daily, as this really works."

Practise 'mindful eating'

Victoria Wills (victoriawills.com), wellbeing guru and hypnotherapist suggests using 'mindful eating' to boost your metabolism. "Change your focus away from what you eat, to how you eat. If you eat breakfast on-the-run, or eat lunch at your desk, then make space for half an hour where your only focus is eating, rather than a million things. It takes 20 minutes for your stomach to register that it's full, so you really do need half an hour for your lunch break. The digestive process starts when you look at and smell your food, so you need to focus on your food rather than the PC, chew your food thoroughly, and focus-on what you are eating."

Diet tips to boost your metabolism

Victoria Cleary Ford, dietary therapist for The Pure Package (purepackage.com) says "variety is the key to a healthy diet, but in the mornings, it can be easier to stick with routines. Eat porridge as it provides wholegrain and fibre, with a teaspoon of ground linseeds, topped with fresh fruit (vitamins) and a generous serving of organic, pro-biotic yoghurt.

If you have time, a slice of rye bread, with scrambled egg with added pro-biotic yoghurt rather than cream. And add fresh tomatoes too.

A glass of fruit juice is a good source of vitamins in the morning, however, it's high in fruit sugar which can cause blood sugar spikes, so dilute with water. During the day snack on nuts and seeds as they are a good source of protein and essential fatty acids, essential for the body to run and burn fat."

Calorie-burning exercise

"The time of day you exercise doesn't have a significant impact on calorie burning. There isn't a best time to work out. However, exercising in the morning helps to kick-start your system and builds endorphin levels to help put you in a good mood for the day. Around 6pm your muscle strength is at its peak and therefore you're less likely to injure yourself. You're also more alert at this time, as research tells us that body temperature and hormones are higher in late afternoon, which means you may get slightly better calorie-burning effect, " advises Steve Miller, lifestyle guru and author of Get Off Your Arse And Lose Weight.

According to Cockcroft, "increasing the amount you exercise will increase muscle-mass, and reduce fat mass. Increasing your body's muscle mass automatically increases your metabolism, as muscle requires more calories to maintain than fat. Try resistance training such as water aerobics or circuit training. During exercise, our bodies use up glycogen stores, so make sure you eat carbohydrate-rich food beforehand such as wholemeal pastas, bread and potatoes."