Metabolism: Expert Guides and Resources

Along with making some lifestyle changes and adding exercise, your diet has a lot to do with boosting your metabolism. Sometimes making the right choices about what to eat isn't so easy, and these decisions are often fraught with anxiety because of the conflicting messages we all receive about food and health in the media.

Taking exercise classes is great when you're trying to boost your metabolism. You can discover new movements that speak to you, learn proper technique from an instructor, and stay engaged with a variety of workouts. Yoga is not only for spiritual peace of mind — it can be super hard. There are many different kinds of yoga, from Bikram (hot yoga) to Hatha (slow poses, good for beginners) to Vinyasa (more fast-paced, flowing movements).

Core, or abdominal, exercise is integral to almost every movement because it helps with so much: balance, coordination, and flexibility. It also improves your performance with cardio workouts. Although your abs may recover more quickly than other muscles, remember that they still need rest too.Triceps kickbackStarting position: Stand up in split-stance position, with your right leg forward, holding a dumbbell in your left hand.

When you’re short on time, you can make the most of the weight or resistance work that you do using metabolism-boosting exercises that work multiple muscles of your body.Dumbbell front squatThese work your full body but can also be done without weights if you don’t have them for an anytime workout on-the-go for your legs.

Also known as Syndrome X, metabolic syndrome is defined as several conditions that can increase your risk for diabetes and heart disease. These include: insulin resistance, high blood pressure, elevated blood glucose and lipid levels, tendency to develop blood clots, and too much fat around the waist. More than 30 percent of Americans (and rising) are thought to have metabolic syndrome.

Here are meal ideas for a sample week’s metabolism-boosting plan. Use the information as a jumping-off point to plan your meals ahead. Pick foods that you love and are likely to incorporate without feeling like you’re on a restricted diet. Each day is about 1500–1600 calories. If you require more calories, add another serving of a whole grain, lean protein, fruit, vegetable, or heart-healthy fat to the meal.

As you improve your diet to boost your metabolism, you experience changes in your body and your mind. Seeing these positive changes helps keep you motivated to continue down a healthy path. Just because you don’t see immediate weight loss, that’s not a reason to bow out of the race and give up. Many factors are in play when it comes to your metabolism, and weight is definitely not the only indicator of health.

You can stick to your metabolism-boosting diet when eating out. You just need a strategy. Whether you’re taking a look before you go online or you’re opening up the menu as you sit down at the table, knowing the low-down on restaurant lingo can make all the difference when making healthy choices. Depending on where you’re dining, you face unique challenges with the options available — from freebies on the table to accompanying cocktails to specific dishes.

Adding herbs and spices to your meals can not only add a pleasure factor to a dish, they may also help increase your metabolic rate. That’s not to say these are miracle seeds to sprinkle on your dish and negate the need to make nutritious choices. But if you’re choosing foods that are jam-packed with nutrition, staying within your calorie needs, and incorporating these flavors, research has shown herbs and spices can help up your burn rate and improve your health.