Burn, Baby, Burn!

10 Ways to Naturally Boost Your Metabolism and Improve the Way You Burn Calories

Are you ready to get ahead of the calorie game once and for all? If you’re tired of playing on-again-off-again with your weight, and you’re ready to make a change, the best answer may be to forget the weight and target your metabolism.

Try these ten easy steps to taking control of your metabolism today:

1. Feel it hot! Add a dash of salsa, red pepper or chili pepper to your food (provided you have no history of ulcers) and burn those calories while you eat.

2. Chew on this. Chewing gum (preferably low or no sugar) not only keeps your mouth busy so that you don’t eat when you’re not hungry, it also makes your stomach kick into digestion mode.

3. More is less. Eating more frequent, smaller meals during the day—as close as every two or three hours—keeps your metabolism up. But make sure you choose lean, low-calorie foods.

4. Fiber Fx. Get your daily fiber fix from apples and other fiber-rich foods (e.g. oat bran, barley, seeds, lentils). The fiber in these foods will help your body to rid itself of excess waste and calories.

5. Make it worth the weight. Weight lifting at home or at the gym builds crucial muscle mass that will allow you to burn calories longer and more effectively. Remember, though, when lifting that slower is better and you need a day in between for muscles to recoup. (Always warm up first!)

6. Walk on. Don’t just sit there, take a walk after eating. It’s the best way to aid your body through the process of digestion and to get rid of that bloated feeling.

7. Mix it up. Interval training—alternating high- and low-impact aerobic and weight activity—keeps your body challenged so that you burn more calories than you would in a level workout.

8. It’s simply Irresistible. Resistance training such as using a leg press or bench press at the gym, or resistance bands at home, also builds valuable muscle tone.

9. Get a guilt-free complex. Know your complex carbohydrates (e.g. whole wheat bread, whole grain cereal, brown rice) and eat plenty. They’re the good calories.

10. Tea off. Drink [certain] herbal teas at mealtime. Hot tea can aid in digestion and elimination.

Now that you have them, you don’t have to feel as if you have to tackle all ten tips at once. As always, start small and focus on making one change at a time consistently. Before you know it, you’ll be adding your own tips to the list. And please do; I’m always looking for great tips to share. Now get your burn on!