Fat, Fat I Ain't Down With That! Easy Tips To Revive Your Metabolism!

 I get a little lazy in winter since generally the swimsuit is many months away however this year I am determined to not let the holidays and all the great food that comes with it leaving me with a mad dash before summer to get those winter pounds off.  Here are some easy tips to help make fighting fat not so painful!

Metabolism, metabolism, metabolism. That one word has always been a mystery to me. Apparently I have a good metabolism (at least that is what my mother has always told me and I am not one to argue with her) and to tell you the truth I was never to sure what having a good metabolism entailed just was glad that I did (based upon serious looks my mother made when talking of metabolism ). One of my friends who is forever on a diet will tell you that she has a terrible metabolism and can never lose weight because of her metabolism (of course she always mentions this while eating several cookies at once). I decided to delve into the metabolism mystery and find some tips to help you speed up your metabolism whether you think you have a good one or a bad one.

When you have a high metabolic rate this increases the amount of calories, or energy, the body burns on a daily basis. Without optimal metabolism the body will store excess calories as fat for future use. The problem for many people is they don’t ever use these excess calories and as a result struggle with weight issues ( not fun).

Vavavoom Your Metabolism

**Eat Spicy Foods- Have you ever noticed that when you swallow that really hot jalapeno that you start to sweat and feel a little hot (I have on many occasions)? Great news! You are speeding up your metabolism. Add some red pepper, or jalapenos to your favorite dish to get going. Mexican and Thai are great choices for this.

**Eat Breakfast-Believe it or not, it may be the most important meal of the day as far as metabolism (and weight loss) is concerned. People who eat breakfast lose more weight than breakfast skippers do, according to studies. Breakfast gives your metabolism a boost and provides a consistent energy supply throughout the day. Christopher, a New York City fitness expert and my online personal trainer is constantly stressing this to me!
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**Eat Lots Of Small Meals Throughout The Day-If you can eat 5-6 small meals (try not to go for more than 4 hours without eating) this will keep your metabolism running great. I have also found this to be helpful so that I do not overeat. I never really feel hungry.

**Drink Green Tea-Studies have found that green tea extract actually increases metabolism. The antioxidants in tea appear to improve concentration, gently boost energy, make people happier, lower cholesterol levels, improve cardiovascular health and help guard against some cancers too. Sounds like a win win idea to me.
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**Avoid Stress-Too much physical or emotional stress causes our bodies to release a steroid called cortisol that actually slows down our metabolism and can cause weight gain, especially around your stomach area.

**Eat Protein-You should make sure that 10 to 35 percent of your total daily calories come from protein. The amino acids in protein make it harder for your body to break down than carbs and fats so you burn more calories. This does not mean you have to eat a lot of meat (if you do eat meat I think the organic grass fed is best). I am a vegetarian and eat a lot of eggs (thank you Christopher),nuts, cheeses and other low fat dairy to get in my protein.

**Get Plenty Of Sleep-Studies show that people who don’t get seven to eight hours a night of sleep are more prone to weight gain. I have heard that the first 4 hours of sleep help with brain repair and the last 4 hours help with body repair (this is just a rumor but comes from a reliable source).
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**Stay Away From Sugar- Honestly, this has to be my least favorite as I love, love, love sweets! Unfortunately, sugar throws our metabolic rate into fat storage mode (that just sounds awful).

Isn't this terrific! These are really not tough tips to include in our daily lives (although I do struggle with the sugar one) so that we can burn calories more efficiently and speed up the ever mysterious metabolism (what does a metabolism look like? anything?).