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.

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.

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.

You deserve to relax. And making time for it allows you to be more productive the rest of the day, which boosts your metabolic rate. Taking a break gives your brain and body time to recover and operate the best they can. Research shows that taking just 15–20 minutes to relax every day can do all of the following: Improve your immune system Lower blood pressure and risk for heart attack and stroke Reduce pain, headaches, and digestive issues like Irritable Bowel Syndrome Improve pre-menstrual symptoms Reduce cortisol levels and junk food cravings Improve your sleep, energy levels, and mood Improve your memory and help you make better decisions At some point in your life, you knew how to chill out, and it's possible you just forgot along the way.

No matter where you store fat, you can rev up your burning furnace with activity. Consistent activity — especially weight-bearing, resistance exercises during which you build and tone muscle — can help offset the 5–10 percent in muscle mass decline per decade of life. That’s one of the reasons your metabolism slows as you age.

The standard American diet is synonymous with overly processed, high-salt, fatty foods. When you start focusing on eating real food — as it's found in nature — you're automatically cutting out a lot of metabolism-busting nutrients and adding back in the nourishing factors like vitamins, minerals, fiber, and heart-healthy fats.

''It's okay to have a snack before bed, especially if it's been many hours since dinner. This will prevent you from going to bed hungry, which can interfere with sleep. However, now that you know it's okay to eat before bedtime, that doesn't give you free rein to finish off that carton of ice cream or leftover lasagna!

Grocery shopping is one of the greatest ways to jump-start a healthy eating regimen — that is, of course, if you're planning ahead for the excursion, making nutritious choices, buying foods that you'll realistically eat, and understand how to pair those foods together into snacks and meals. How not to go grocery shopping There's a time and a place for grocery shopping, and it's not wise to go on a whim without a plan.