BOOST YOUR METABOLISM

Many people believe that a slower metabolism is an inevitable consequence of aging. However, there are ways to keep your metabolism strong and healthy throughout your life.

Here are five things you can do to boost your metabolism and the most important thing to avoid:

1. Increase you muscle mass by strength training. Your muscle is your "fat burning machinery". Muscle is active tissue and requires many more calories than fat. The more muscle on your body, the more calories you burn per day. (This is why strength training is so important.)

2. Boost your calorie burn with cardio. You continue to burn a higher number of calories for up to an hour after you've finished your workout!

3. Begin your day with breakfast. Going many hours without food in your system, makes your body go into "starvation mode." Your metabolism slows down to conserve calories. Stoke your furnace each morning by eating a good breakfast!

4. Eat small portions more often. Keep that furnace going throughout the day!

5. Drink at least 8 cups of water. All chemical processes in your body require water. Keep yourself hydrated to keep your metabolism working strong.

And here's what you need to avoid - the most detrimental thing for your metabolism:

Yo-yo dieting!! When you lose weight quickly, you lose muscle along with the fat. When you gain it back, you gain back only fat. With less muscle on your body, you will burn fewer calories every day.

After months, years & decades of yo-yo dieting, many people have severely lowered their metabolism and they find it increasingly difficult to lose any weight at all.

But there is hope! If you feel you have a slow metabolism, follow our 5 metabolism-boosting tips above. And be patient! It took time to lower your metabolism, so it will take time to speed it up.