Boost Your Metabolism by Adding Muscle

Resting metabolic rate is much higher in people with more muscle. Every pound of muscle uses about 6 calories a day just to sustain itself, while each pound of fat burns only 2 calories daily. In addition, resistance training increases your average daily metabolic rate.

Boost Your Metabolism by Eating Small Frequent Meals

When you eat large meals with many hours in between, you train your metabolism to slow down. Having a small meal or snack every 3 to 4 hours keeps your metabolism cranking, so you burn more calories over the course of a day.

Boost your Metabolism with Aerobic Exercise

Aerobic exercise can rev up your metabolism in the hours after a workout. High-intensity exercise delivers a bigger, longer increase in resting metabolic rate than low- or moderate workouts.

Boost Your Metabolism by Avoiding Crash Diets

Crash diets are disastrous for anyone hoping to quicken their metabolism. These diets may help you drop pounds, but a high percentage of the loss comes from muscle. The lower your muscle mass, the slower your metabolism. The final result is a body that burns far fewer calories (and gains weight faster) than the one you had before the diet.

Boost Your Metabolism by Spicing up Your Meals

Spicy foods contain chemical compounds that kick the metabolism into high gear. Eating a tablespoon of chopped red or green chili pepper can temporarily boost your metabolic rate by 23 percent. Some studies suggest the effect only lasts half an hour, but if you eat spicy foods often, the benefits will add up.

Boost Your Metabolism by Drinking Coffee

Drinking coffee increases energy and concentration, some of these benefits are linked to a short-term increase in your metabolic rate. In one study, the caffeine in two cups of coffee prompted a 145-pound woman to burn 50 extra calories over the next four hours.

Boost Your Metabolism by Drinking Green Tea

Drinking green tea or oolong tea offers the combined benefits of caffeine and catechins, substances shown to rev up the metabolism for a couple hours. Research suggests drinking two to four cups of either tea may push the body to burn an extra 50 calories each day.

Boost Your Metabolism by Drinking Water

The body needs water to process calories. If you are even mildly dehydrated, your metabolism may slow down. In one study, adults who drank eight or more glasses of water a day burned more calories than those who drank four.

Boost Your Metabolism by Eating More Protein

The body burns up to twice as many calories digesting protein as it uses for fat or carbohydrates. Although you want to eat a balanced diet, replacing some carbohydrates with lean, protein-rich foods can jump-start the metabolism at mealtime.

Boost Your Metabolism by Adding Cold Beverages

Bottom Line on Ways to Boost Your Metabolism

Even though food and drinks can have an impact your metabolism, it is small compared to what you need for sustained weight loss. The best bet for increasing your metabolism and creating a mean calorie-burning machine is to build muscle and stay active.