We’re on Week #13 in the 21 Weeks to Intentional Health! Boost Metabolism & Burn Calories Challenge! It’s wonderful to have a healthy metabolism and be able to burn the necessary calories each day to stay fit.
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Is this a “weight loss” challenge? Not specifically. In order to maintain a healthy weight for our body, we need to consciously burn calories each and every day.
The main factors that determine how many calories you burn each day is your current weight, your body’s metabolism, and how intense you do certain activities.
Please keep in mind, that in order to shed unhealthy weight, you’ll need to add in drinking lots of purified water, exercise on a regular basis, and eat nutrient dense whole foods.
Boost Metabolism & Burn Calories Challenge
- 7 Foods to Boost Your Metabolism
- 7 Ways to Burn Calories
- Challenge: Apply 3-4 from each group daily
7 Foods that Boost Metabolism
How exciting that we can incorporate food from this list to regulate and increase our metabolism!!!
Green Tea. Green tea has thermogenic properties and fat burning capabilities. “Compounds in green tea increase levels of hormones that tell fat cells to break down fat.” 1. High Antioxidant Green Tea.
Broccoli. This vegetable is high in calcium and vitamin C & is known for increasing our metabolism
Hot Peppers. The “hot” compound found in this vegetable actually improves our metabolism and circulation. The heat from the peppers works as an appetite reducers, aiding us in not overeating.
Homemade Soups. Soups are a wonderful combination of liquids and solid food that works to satisfy our appetite, increase our metabolism, and provides us with necessary nutrition. Chose soups that are high in protein, nutrition and low in sodium. Nutritious Easy to Prepare Homemade Soups & Chili Recipes.
Spices. Specifically cinnamon, ginger and cayenne pepper. Our body uses more energy to process and use these species, raising our metabolism. Cinnamon is known for decreasing our blood sugar sensitivity, leaving us with less high and lows. Try any of the Primal Palate Seasonings.
Fish. A compound found in fish is known for regulating our metabolism, specifically salmon, sardines, and tuna. “These fish boost your levels of fat-burning enzymes and decrease your levels of fat-storage enzymes.” 2
Select Citrus. Grapefruit, lemons and limes are known to increase our metabolism, due to their high content of Vitamin C.
When we make purposeful food choices, we actually aid our body by boosting our metabolism.
7 Ways to Burn Calories
Burn calories doing every day activities!
Prepare a meal from scratch. The energy it takes to wash, peel, slice & dice vegetables actually burns just over 100 calories. Continue cleaning up after the meal to burn a few more calories.
Tend a garden. Just 25 minutes of gardening burns 100 calories. Now that is great motivation to till the soil, plant the seeds, and keep up with removing weeds. Grafting/Budding/Pruning/Garden 7-in-1 Multi Tool with Case
Stretches. It’s a low impact activity that is healthy for all your muscles and after 20 minutes, you have burned over a 100 calories.
Stand or Move Around instead of sitting. Standing alone burns twice as many calories as sitting. Use a vibration machine for 10 minutes and it’s equivalent to 60 minutes of exercise. LifePro Vibration Plate Exercise Machine – Whole Body Workout Vibration Fitness Platform w/Loop Bands.
Clean Your Home. It might be more fun to scrub that kitchen or bathtub with gusto if you know you’re burning more calories. Vacuum and mop your floors and burn another 120 calories.
Stairs. It can be a nuisance to have to climb stairs, but you are burning more calories! Do you live in a two story home? Keep going up and down those stairs throughout your day. Note, you’ll burn approximately 9 calories per minute.
Use hand weights or a kettlebell to work your muscles. After you’re done stretching, pick up a kettlebell and work those muscles for 15 minutes, and you’ll be burning more calories. Wide Grip Kettlebell Exercise Fitness Weight Set, Includes 10 lbs, 15 lbs, 20 lbs, Multicolor
Bonus Activities
Warm weather activities that burn LOTS of calories & works your body are as follows: biking, mowing the lawn, canoeing, rock climbing, and backpacking. (Backpacking burns 10 calories a minute!) Osprey Packs Daylite Plus Daypack, Black
Snowy weather activities that burn LOTS of calories area as follows: shoveling, sledding, cross-country skiing, ice climbing & snowshoeing. Tubbs Wayfinder W Snowshoes
Boost Metabolism & Burn Calories Challenge
Challenge: Try to incorporate 3-4 of the 7 Foods that Boost Metabolism and 7 Ways to Burn Calories into your daily routine.
What does this challenge look like for me? I would like to be mindful to get more fish into my diet. Although I do prepare some meals with spices, I often skip the hot peppers. Next time I clean my house, I will smile and know that I burning necessary calories.
How did you find this particular challenge?
Share your challenge one of 4 ways; by commenting below, commenting on my Facebook page, Instagram page or email me your acceptance. Use #accept21weekhealthchallenge on your social media comments.
Pursing Better Health Together,
1 – “How Green Tea Can Help You Lose Weight” by Kris Gunnars, Healthline, October 15, 2018.
2 – “The Best Foods to Eat to Boost Your Metabolism and Burn Fat”. by Mala Srivastava, December 17, 2018.