Setting weight loss goals can be an extremely difficult task. You can try as many fad diets you like, but if you don’t have a healthy metabolism, you’re not going to make much progress. The good news is that you’re not totally stuck with your inherited genetic metabolism. There are a number of simple lifestyle changes that can dramatically enhance the performance of your metabolism. Here are our top tips on how to give your metabolism a welcome boost as you prepare to stay healthy and in shape this winter. 

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Don’t skip breakfast

A common myth is that not eating anything will make you lose weight. In reality, there are a number of harmful consequences associated with skipping a meal. Without a new intake of calories, your body will transition into starvation mode in order to conserve energy, thus slowing your metabolism. Sometimes if we’re running late or have little time, skipping breakfast can seem like the best solution. Yet according to the International Journal for Obesity, eating a nutrient-rich meal in the morning is essential in waking up your metabolism and assisting your body in burning more calories throughout the day.

Avoid processed foods

While eating organic may seem like a luxury to those on a budget, it’s actually essential in improving the state of your metabolism. How your body digests food is crucial to your metabolism. Food that contains pesticides and other harmful preservatives can interfere with the body’s energy burning process, making it more difficult to lose weight. Additionally, processed foods are often stripped of their nutritive qualities, meaning the body doesn’t benefit from as many of the positive effects as it might with non-processed, organic food.

Sip on green tea

Green tea has long been regarded as a superpower in weight loss. A key ingredient in green tea is catechin, a powerful antioxidant that inhibits the breakdown of fats. According to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, one serving of green tea has the ability to increase metabolism by  4% over a 24 hour period. Not only does green tea speed up the body’s metabolism, but it also has the ability to reduce appetite. A study at the University of Chicago studied rats injected with a green tea extract, and found that they consumed up to 60% less food after seven days of daily injections.

Switch it up with interval training

It’s well-known that cardio is essential to maintaining a healthy metabolism, but certain types of cardio exercise offer greater benefts. In family physician Dr. Mark Hyman’s book Ultrametabolism: The Simple Plan for Automatic Weight Loss, he advocates for high intensity interval sessions. The next time you go for your daily run, try sprinting in 30 second intervals, returning to a job afterwards. According to Dr. Hyman, this forces the body to consume more oxygen and make the mitochondria work harder to burn energy, thus boosting your metabolism.