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 Three Easy Ways to Boost your Body's Metabolism  
Some people ask how metabolism can be boosted, and others blame their weight gain on a sluggish metabolic rate. They talk about it as though it were a switch that could be turned on or off at will. In a way, it can, and this article explains.

By Patricia Zelkovsky

Enter any online dieting forum or chat group, and one of the main topics you see being discussed is metabolism. Some people ask how it can be boosted, and others blame their weight gain on a sluggish metabolic rate. They talk about it as though it were a switch that could be turned on or off at will. In a way, it can, but we will get to that in a bit.

Many forum posters will then go on to talk about their 1000-calorie diet, and how they work at a desk all day, only getting up for coffee breaks and snacks. They ask 'what's the best pill I can take to boost my metabolism?'

If that sounds like you, you need to step back and re-evaluate your diet and lifestyle; do not look for the next great miracle pill, because you are not going to find it. Sorry for the honesty, but that magic elixir that you are looking for just does not exist.

Here are three easy ways to boost your metabolism naturally:

Do not starve your body.

That's right, don't follow every ultra low-calorie diet that comes into fashion. In order for your body to produce energy, it needs calories to burn from good wholesome food. It requires protein to keep muscles healthy, carbs for energy, and fats to keep organs like your heart and brain functioning well.

To get an idea of how many calories your body needs every day, follow this guide: if you sit at a desk all day, take your current weight and multiply it by 14, this will give you your daily calorie requirement. If you are a bit more active, multiply your weight by 17. If you are very active, multiply by 20. Now if you wish to lose one pound a week by dieting, eat 500 calories less per day. For most of us, that is easy - just give up that daily latte.

Increase your physical activity.

Above, you learned how you could lose a pound of week by cutting out 500 calories per day. Therefore, if you want to lose 2 pounds a week, you should also be increasing your physical activity so that you burn an extra 500 calories per day. It is easy to burn an extra 500 calories per day. Just mowing the lawn for 60 minutes can burn 500+ calories. Adding an hour of brisk walking daily or playing your favorite sport will expend your 500 calories.

However, do not stop there. Add more movement all day long. If your desk is ten feet away from your printer and you are printing five pages, do not wait until they are all completed, pick them up one by one. Find simple ways to force your body to move.

Train with weights.

Add light hand weights to your cardio workout. Small weights from one to five pounds can make a major impact on how much fat you burn during your physical activities. The increased muscle size will require more calories during the day than fat will. Therefore, you burn more each day. When I talk about muscles, I am not talking about huge, Arnold-size muscles. Just a slight increase will make a big difference in your caloric usage.

Now the next time you find yourself listening to someone complain about their sluggish metabolism, you can tell them to put down the Danish, get off their butt, grab their hand weights, and get moving. That is how they can turn on their metabolism-boosting switch.


About the Author:

For more tips on how to boost your metabolism, please visit: http://www.squidoo.com/weightloss-dieting-fitness. Article Source: 1st Rate Articles - http://1stRateArticles.com


  Article added 09/11/07, last revised 09/11/07.

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