by Courtland Low

Created on: March 01, 2009

Raising your metabolism is one of the best methods for weight loss. The recipe for success in this case is simply eating the right foods, regular exercise and keeping healthy habits such as getting enough sleep and not skipping meals.

Contrary to popular belief, diets lower your overall metabolic rate. Your body adjusts to the lowered caloric intake and begins storing as much of it as it can. When you get off the diet, your body is still in "storage" mode and you gain weight twice as fast. Increase your metabolism and you won't need to diet.

The first step to increase your metabolism is to eat more. The simple act of digestion burns calories. Eating 5 or 6 smaller meals a day keeps your body constantly digesting food and therefore constantly burning calories. Make sure you include lean proteins, such as chicken and complex carbohydrates such as oatmeal, whole grain cereals, corn and lentils. The body has to work harder to digest these foods, burning more calories. If possible avoid fast food and processed foods. Check labels for Hydrogenated Oils and High Fructose Corn Syrup wreak havoc on your body. On the other hand, include Omega 3 fatty acids in your diet, they tell your body's metabolism to increase and burn more fat! Good sources of Omega 3 include: salmon, mackerel, flax seeds, and kiwi fruits. Make your food work for you, not against you.

Did you know that muscle cells are eight times more metabolically active than fat cells? One kilogram of muscle burns 73 more calories than fat per day! Add weight lifting or resistance exercises to increase your metabolism. More muscles means faster metabolism! If you don't have the time to go to the gym, consider doing interval exercises whenever you can. Interval exercises means "go fast then go slow". Speed walk for a couple minutes, slow down for a minute, then speed up again. These exercises burn more fat in less time compared to traditional cardio. Combine this with resistance exercises and your body will continue burning fat several hours after your workout.

Typically you should exercise at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week. Include aerobic exercises such as walking or biking into your routine. If you don't have time to do it all at once, feel free to split it up or even fit in two exercise sessions in a day. If possible do your weight lifting exercises in the morning and then your aerobic exercises in the evening after your dinner. This will keep your body burning calories faster almost all day. If you can't find the time to exercise, try keeping yourself constantly moving; taking the stairs instead of the elevator is a great way to include exercise in your daily life.

Remember to stay hydrated! Dehydration will slow down your metabolism as your body functions switch to storing water. Keeping properly hydrated will let your body focus on metabolism instead.

Lastly, get enough rest. Sleep deprivation slows down your metabolism. If you find yourself having to hit the snooze button every morning, you're not getting enough rest. Your body begins to regenerate and heal at night when you're sleeping, which is essential to staying healthy. You should always wake up alert and refreshed.

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