Metabolism defines the chemical processes inside your body, and simply put, your body’s metabolic rate is how fast you convert and utilize the food you consume for energy. Unfortunately, as the human body ages, the metabolic processes slow down, which is often reflected in weight gain during the latter stages of life. Here are 6 simple ways you can follow to boost your metabolism.

Don’t starve yourself

The worst thing you can do is starve your body. As soon as people start gaining weight, they turn to dieting and starving, which actually slows down their metabolism further and makes it even harder to lose weight.

Drink cold water

The significance of water cannot be overstated. The human kidneys are capable of holding and filtering a lot and there is no such thing as drinking ‘too much’ water. Water is actually an essential part of the chemical processes in your body and lack of it slows down everything. Drinking cold water is even better because it makes your body burn more calories in order to maintain temperature.

Cut down on alcohol

Drinking alcohol can lower your metabolism rate considerably. Ideally you should avoid drinking but if you must, try cutting it down and drink water after a drink to keep yourself hydrated.

Get vitamin D

Fruits are rich in vitamins, and vitamin D is essential for proper absorption of calcium, which in it self boosts your metabolism. Soaking the sun and eating fatty fish helps if you want to get vitamin D.

Eat proteins and iron

Both iron and proteins are instrumental in burning fat and speeding up your metabolism. However, this does not mean that you turn to supplements. Eat natural sources of these nutrients, like lean meat, fish, spinach and beans so that they become part of your routine diet.

Take more fiber

Fiber not only helps burn fat but has numerous other health advantages. Most people today prefer canned and processed foods, which are missing natural fiber content. You should stay away from white bread and pastas and instead opt for whole-grain varieties. This will not only regulate your digestive system but help with water retention and lower your cholesterol level.

Drink coffee

Caffeine is proven to boost your metabolism by more than 10%, which is why its the beverage of choice for many every morning. However, if you are not a big fan of coffee, you can drink dark chocolate, which has the added benefit of providing you anti-oxidants.