Boost Your Metabolism

Imagine being the owner of an efficient fat burning machine! There are a number of things you can do to turn your body into just that, and they don't include depriving yourself of your favourite foods. The bottom line (which will soon to be slimmer!) is to boost your metabolism and increase your daily calorie burn. Here’s how... Build muscle: This is the most important action you can take to maintain a high metabolic rate while trying to lose weight. Strength training prevents you from losing muscle along with the fat you lose when dieting. A simple resistance or strength training program twice a week can limit your muscle loss to almost zero, and keep your metabolism running sky high. Stay active: The more you use your muscles, even the talking ones, the more calories you will burn. Moderate exercise, like walking, can burn six times more calories per minute than sitting still. High intensity exercise (running, cycling, skipping, aerobics, dancing etc.) can burn more than twelve times as much. Exercise in the morning: Exercising early in the morning "jump starts" your metabolism, keeping it elevated for hours. As a result, you will burn more calories all day long just because you exercised in the morning! Both strength and cardio workouts boost metabolism, so it doesn’t matter what sort of training you do as long as you don’t hit the snooze button! What’s more, since activity causes the release of endorphins, which in turn diminishes appetite, many people find that morning exercise has a tendency to regulate their appetite for the rest of the day. Be Intense: The harder you work the more calories you will burn both during and after exercise and your fitness level will really improve. Studies show that exercising as intensely as you can, for at least ten minutes per day, produces the best results. Most important: Make exercise FUN! Experiment with new exercises all the time – anything goes as long as your heart rate goes up and there’s a muscle or two that encounters resistance. The more variety and spice you have, the more enjoyable your workouts will be and the more your fat fighting machine will be kept on its toes. Let’s declare war on the wobble with a smile!