Looking to increase your metabolism?

Here are 10ways you can help revive and boost your metabolism.

1. Make sure you eat breakfast.
If you don't eat breakfast, you slow down your metabolism and send the body into "hoard mode," thinking it's starving because you're going a long period of time frequently 8 to 10 hours or more, without food.

2. Eat the majority of your food earlier in the day.
Dinner should be your lightest meal, and some experts recommend you don't anything after 8 p.m., or any later than 3 to 4 hours before bedtime. This helps your body process and burn the food when you're aware and moving around and burning more calories per hour.

3. Don't starve.
Dropping your calorie intake below 1,200 calories a day will signal to your body that you are in starvation mode, and will slow down your metabolism.

4. Eat smaller meals more frequently.
Smaller, more frequent meals keeps your blood sugar stable and provides a steady source of energy to fuel metabolism. Try eating 5-6 small meals per day, spaced out about 3 hours apart.

5. Always include Protein
Your body needs protein to maintain lean muscle. Add a serving, like 3 ounces of lean meat, 2 tablespoons of nuts, or 8 ounces of low-fat yogurt, to every meal and snack. Research shows protein can up postmeal calorie burn by as much as 35%.

6. Eat Whole Foods
The calories that you burn during digestion are due to the need for your body to break down the foods. Your body must extract the fiber and nutrients, take chains of molecules and chop them into smaller versions to absorb them into your bloodstream, and perform a variety of tasks in order to assimilate foods. When foods are processed, much of this work is done for you. For example, processed flour is ground into small pieces that the body can digest more quickly. This means your blood sugar rises faster and your body expends fewer calories processing the flour. Whole grains, on the other hand, pack more nutrients, are higher in fiber, and force the body to work harder to use them as energy. Another advantage to eating whole foods is that many of the nutrients in these foods - such as vitamins and minerals - are cofactors in metabolic processes that your body uses to burn fat and build muscle.

7. Get enough aerobic exercise.
As much as you can is really a help for your metabolism, and if you do it in the morning, you'll raise your metabolism all day.

8. Build muscle with weight training or resistance exercise.
At least two to three times a week, you should add weight training or progressive resistance exercise that builds muscle. Muscle burns more calories than fat, and the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn, even at rest!

9. Water, water, water!!
You've heard it before, but drink those 8 8-ounce glasses of water every day. The energy burning process of metabolism needs water to work effectively.

10. Get enough B vitamins.
Among supplements, if you are suffering from flagging energy, you need to make sure that you are getting enough B vitamins. Vitamin B-12 in particular is one that is essential for energy. To ensure you're getting enough B vitamins, consider taking a B complex, plus a separate sublingual B-12.



Here is a way to estimate your "Basal Metabolic Rate"

Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is a measure of how fast your metabolism is running. It's the number of calories you burn to keep your heart beating, to keep you breathing, to keep your muscles alive, etc. It's the number of calories your body needs while at rest.

Women: 661 + (4.38 x weight in pounds) + (4.33 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age) = BMR

Men: 667 + (6.24 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) - (6.9 x age) = BMR

To estimate the TOTAL number of calories your body needs per day, multiply your BMR by the appropriate number below.

0.9 if you are sedentary and have yo-yo or crash dieted frequently during the past two years
1.2 if you are sedentary
1.3 if you are moderately active (exercise 3 days per week or equivalent)
1.7 if you are very active
1.9 if you are extremely active

This is only a way to estimate caloric expenditure.

Planning and Consistency

My motivation has been up and down and I really need to get it steady. I have a good day or even a great day then I don't. I am consistent w/ eating then skipping workouts. Then I am consistent w/ workouts then failing w/ eating. I know I have a lot on my plate at home, but this is no excuse. I have used this excuse way too many times and really, and frankly... it is an excuse. I need to make myself a priority. I need to make sure I don't run out of food staples. I need to work around the kids and make sure I get my workout in. No matter what. If I want it, I must do it. I must be consistent with eating and workouts. Planning and consistency... That is the only way to get results.