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Having a robust metabolism is essential to overall health and wellness. A slow metabolism can cause weight gain, sleeplessness, poor physical performance and an array of lifestyle disorders like diabetes, blood pressure and heart disease.
Metabolism is the rate at which your body converts food into energy. A healthy metabolic rate results in the body burning calories easily, while a slow or sluggish one can cause you to feel bloated, lethargic and dull.
There are ways to increase your metabolic rate or improve your metabolism, and the best way to do it is regular exercise.
Cardio workouts specifically target your metabolism, as they work out a lot of muscles in your body, which effectively elevates your heart rate. Sustained exercise over long periods improve your metabolic rate, allowing you to lead a healthy life.
Cardio Workouts to Get Better Metabolism
Check out these six cardio workouts to give your metabolism a boost:
1) Running
Running is one of the best cardio exercises you can do to boost your metabolism. It's used by everyone from college kids to Hollywood stars to stay fit. It doesn't require any equipment and can be performed anywhere and any time. All you need is a good pair of running shoes.
Some health benefits of running are:
- Reduces risk of heart disease and improves overall cardiovascular health.
- Reduces resting heart rate - a good indicator of your overall fitness. The lower it is, the more efficient your heartbeat is.
- Helps achieve a good night's sleep.
- Boosts mood and energy.
- Improves metabolism.
2) Mountain Climber
Mountain climber is a great high-intensity workout for the entire body. It uses a lot of muscles, and the quick movement gets your heart rate up pretty quickly. The more muscles an exercise uses, the faster it boosts your metabolism.
Here's how you do this exercise:
- Start in a plank and push-up position.
- Put your hands directly under your shoulders on the floor.
- Keep your hips level with the ground and feet and back together.
- Run your knees quickly to your chest, switching legs after each rep.
- Make sure your shoulders are over your hands, and your hips don't go up.
3) Running Lunge
This cardio blaster exercise is one of the best to boost your metabolism. The longer you do it, the more your muscles stay under tension resulting in an improved metabolism.
Here's how you do this exercise:
- Start with your left knee on the floor behind you and right foot in front of you.
- The angle between the back of your knee and the front of your hip should be 90 degrees.
- Your front knee should be on top of your ankle and back knee should be under your hip.
- Drive your back knee up into a high knee position, and hop your right foot off the ground at the same time.
- Go back to where you started, and keep going.
- If the jump is too high, step up instead of jumping.
4) Fire Feet Drill
This exercise is yet another great cardio workout that works out your muscles pretty quickly and gets your heart rate up in no time. When your heart rate is high, it sends blood to your muscles that's full of oxygen and nutrients, helping improve your metabolism.
Here's how you do this exercise:
- Start with your feet wider than your shoulders and knees slightly bent.
- Your hips should be behind you.
- Run in place as fast as you can on the balls of your feet, as if the floor is hot.
- Every ten seconds, do an advanced tuck jump or a beginner jump squat as high as you can, and return to your fire feet.
5) Sprinter Burpee
Sprinter burpees are a full body cardio workout that helps elevate your heart rate quickly, elevating your metabolism.
Here's how you do this exercise:
- Putting both hands on the floor, kick your feet back behind you, and slowly lower your chest to the floor.
- Jump your feet forward, and land them flat on the floor on the outside of your hands.
- Once your feet are in place, aggressively jump into a sprinter's position in the air with your arms and legs.
- Try kicking your front knee in towards your face and back heel into your butt.
- Change the leg in front every time you hit your sprinter's jump.
6) Swimming
Swimming burns fat, helps lose weight, and makes you stronger, more fit and healthier. No other workout can make you as fit, boost your metabolism and burn as many calories as swimming.
As water is 800 times more dense than air, every kick, push or pull is like a resistance workout for your entire body. Swimming is a great way to work out your shoulders, arms, glutes, hips and core.
In an hour, a slow, easy swim burns about 500 calories, while a fast, hard swim can burn up to 700 calories. Swimming helps you burn calories and build lean muscle at the same time. Your metabolism speeds up when you have lean muscles, helping you burn more calories.
Takeaway
Include the aforementioned exercises in your fitness routine to boost your metabolism, which is especially important for weight loss.
