The High Performance Journal​ - May 16th 2023

The other day I was in line for a coffee. As I was waiting I overheard a conversation that was happening right behind me.

It was a guy in his mid 40's talking to his friend about his struggles to lose weight.

During the convo I overheard say,

"I used to eat whatever I wanted and have a six pack. Now if I even if I look at food I put it on my belly. My metabolism has slowed down"

Insert crying face emoji.

As he said that I proceeded to look forward and made sure to bite my tongue. It's just not nice to tell someone you've never met that they are probably wrong. I don't know about you but it's not the best way to make a good first impression.

So I bought my coffee and proceeded to enjoy the rest of my day.

Studies show that between the ages of 20 to 60, our metabolisms stay stable. What you need to know is that our metabolisms most likely don't slowed down with age. We do.

Combine that with our lack of movement and the fact that muscle mass decreases approximately 3–8% per decade after the age of 30 and we have a serious problem.

The fact is this: If you want to burn fat faster you want to have a faster metabolism.

So in today's newsletter, I want to show you exactly how to do that.

What's a Metabolism?

First off, let's start with the basics. If you know this then you can skip forward but it's always nice to have a good refresher and I'm pretty sure giving this a quick read will make you smarter than 99% of people out there.

Your metabolism is a term used to describe all chemical reactions in your body that keep you alive. This is why people who say that you need to "reset" your metabolism (picture me using air quotes with my fingers) are feeding you horse poo.

You cannot reset your metabolism because if you did you would literally die.

When most people use the word metabolism they refer to your basal metabolic rate (BMR) or the number of calories you burn at rest.

Many factors can affect your metabolism, including your genetics, age, diet, sex, body size, and health status.

The best way to influence your metabolism is to do things that will increase your BMR.

How To Speed Up The Metabolism

The top 3 pillars to secure a faster metabolism are through:

1) Food
2) Muscle
3) Movement

These are the big 3 to focus on. There are some other "out of the box" types of methods as well. I'll provide them at the end of the newsletter.

You ready? Let's go.

Increase Your Protein Intake And Eat Protein With Every Meal.

Eating specific types of foods can temporarily increase your metabolism for a few hours.

This is called the Thermic Effect of Food (TEF) and it’s caused by the extra calories required to digest, absorb, and process the nutrients in your meal.

Protein causes the largest rise in TEF. It requires 20 to 30% of its usable energy for metabolism compared to 5 to 10% for carbs and 0 to 3% for fats.

We get our clients to aim for .8 to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight.

Build Muscle

Muscle is more metabolically active than fat. Building muscle can help increase your metabolism to help you burn more calories each day, even at rest.

A pound of muscle can help you burn around 6 calories per pound/day. While this may not seem like a lot at first it compounds as you add more muscle to your body.

This is a big reason why we use metabolic strength training in our Lean Body 90 program and coaching programs.

Not only is building muscle good for your metabolism it is also great for your hormones and quality of life as you age.

I've never met anyone who regretted building too much muscle.

Okay, maybe the dude who turned his arms into clouds but otherwise no one else.

Get A Standing Desk

Standing burns more calories than sitting. This isn't rocket science but it needs to be said.

If you have a desk job, try standing up for short periods to break up the length of time you spend sitting down.

Consider getting an adjustable sit-to-stand desk. I personally like to do 15 minutes of standing for every 45 minutes of sitting.

The brand I use is called Uplift if you're interested.

Fix Your Sleep

Sleep affects your metabolism in an indirect way.

If you deprive yourself of sleep you stimulate your appetite-regulating hormones. Insufficient sleep is associated with higher levels of the hormone ghrelin, which increases appetite, and lower levels of the hormone leptin, which leads to feeling less full. This sets people up to gain weight.

Also, lack of sleep messes with your recovery between workouts. If you don't get enough recovery you won't be able to build muscle efficiently.

There are so many things to do to improve your sleep so I compiled a report of all of them that you can access right here.

Increase Your NEAT

NEAT refers to your non-exercise-related physical activity. There are a few ways to do this that actually work at helping you increase your metabolic rate:

Fidgeting - Multiple studies have confirmed that fidgeting throughout the entire day can burn ten times more calories than just sitting still. Another study found that doing simple soleus raises at your desk can also increase metabolic rate. Fidgeting is a big reason why fidgeters are able to stay lean.

Walking - The average American gets 4000 steps a day, which pales in comparison to our Palaeolithic ancestors who got 14 to 17k steps a day. This doesn't mean you should be aiming for that but I've found with my clients that a low bar of 6000 and up to 10,000 steps can help.

Other Weird Ways To Boost Your Metabolism

Eat spicy stuff

Capsaicin, a chemical found in chili peppers, may boost your metabolism by slightly increasing the rate at which your body burns calories. A review of 20 research studies notes that capsaicin — from supplements or the peppers themselves — may help your body burn around 50 extra calories per day.

Go swimming

Swimming in cold water can increase your basal metabolic rate (BMR), which means you’ll burn more calories after the workout is complete. This is due to the fact that your body has to heat you up to maintain a healthy core body temperature.

Drink Green Tea

Green tea contains caffeine and an antioxidant called catechin. Research suggests that both of these can speed up metabolism. Catechin can help to break down excess fat, while both catechin and caffeine can increase the amount of energy the body uses.

Note: Would I rely on these to speed up my metabolism? No. Think of these are nice to do but not anywhere as effective as the principles listed above.

Congrats On Your Faster Metabolism

You now have in your hands a solid guide on increasing your metabolic rate.

So what next?

Find the area that you're not taking action on and start focusing on that.

The process of speeding up your metabolism won't happen overnight but when you give it 12 weeks you'll see the compounding effects it can bring to your life and body.

- Dan

Ps. Whenever you’re ready, there are 2 ways I can help you:

1. Are you an entrepreneur who wants to get lean, boost energy, and get in your best shape in 2023?
Apply for private one-on-one coaching here.​ 

2. If you’re still looking to get lean, I’d recommend starting with an affordable course:

→ The Lean Body 90 System: Transform your body with the Lean Body 90 system. This comprehensive course will teach you the system I use to get my clients lean & energetic in 90 days in only 90 minutes a week. Join 1000+ students here