Ever wonder why your best friend can eat ice cream and chocolate without putting on weight while if you indulge it goes straight to your hips? The answer lies in your metabolism, that engine in your body that burns calories (fuel) all day, every day. Because of genetics, some people burn fat faster than others. But age, body weight, diet, and exercise habits also play a role. As people age their metabolisms slow down mainly because they are losing five or six pounds of muscle each decade starting in the mid-20s if they do not work to keep it. Translation: You will likely be burning 100 fewer calories a day at 35 than at 25. But there are easy things you can do to stoke your fat-burning potential and there is no reason you can't have the same metabolism in your 30s and 40s and beyond that you had in your 20s. Here are some ways to keep your motor running hot: 1. Strength training - Experts say this is the best way to crank up your resting metabolic rate. As you get older this rate drops, but strength training can rev it right back up again. A pound of muscle burns up to nine times the calories a pound of fat does as it is much more active tissue. Don't think you have time to hit the gym? You can get great results with only two 30 minute sessions a week. This is so effective your metabolism will remain in overdrive for hours after the session burning lots of extra calories. 2. Add interval training - A couple of sessions of short burst training each week for a great metabolic boost. You can use any cardio activity or bodyweight exercise for 10-20 seconds and slow the activity for rest for 1-2 minutes. Repeat 8-12 times. Eg sprint 10 seconds walk 1 minute. 2. Don't overdo calorie cutting - Putting yourself on a low-calorie diet is a surefire way not to lose any body fat. Your body is programmed to defend your usual weight so, if you suddenly drop 1,000 calories from your diet, your metabolism will automatically slow down because your body will assume that you are starving. 3. Eat breakfast - This may be the most important meal of the day as far as metabolism (and weight loss) is concerned and breakfast eaters lose more weight than breakfast skippers do, according to studies. Your metabolism slows while you sleep and it doesn't rev back up until you eat again so take the opportunity to get your motor going again. 4. Pile on the protein - Research shows that getting plenty of high quality protein can boost your metabolism, causing you to burn an extra 150 to 200 calories a day. That doesn't mean you have to live on a high-protein diet but you should have a serving of protein as the center of each meal. Choose it first and add vegetables etc to that base. 5. Go for good carbohydrates - Such as vegetables and fruits and a small amount of grains that do not create a surge in insulin that promotes storage of fat. Refined carbohydrates like white bread, cakes and cookies etc may drive down your metabolic rate and increase fat storage. 6. Eat all day- Eating five to six mini meals every 2-3 hours rather than three larger meals every day keeps your metabolism humming 24/7 and will also prevent you from going without food so long that you become so hungry you overeat. Try not to let more than four hours elapse between meals and make sure each meal includes protein for an extra metabolic boost. These six methods of boosting your metabolism are hugely effective and will knock off excess body fat in the quickest possible manner. Try it and see for yourself.
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