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).

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.

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.

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.

A major part of the boosting-your-metabolism way is substituting the foods you eat with more nutritionally dense foods so that you’re satisfied and energized throughout the day. Note that snack is not a four-letter word. People who snack smart are more likely to lose weight and keep it off. When should you have a snack?

Most Americans get enough protein — double the protein needed — to keep their metabolism on track. For the average Joe, that’s okay as long as that protein is from lean sources — meaning low in artery-clogging saturated fat — and as long as what you’re consuming isn’t exceeding the amount of calories you need.

Without a metabolism-boosting lunch chock-full of nutrients, your blood sugar levels drop, you feel sluggish, and you tend to go overboard calorie-wise at dinnertime. Without lunch, the math never adds up to fewer calories or weight loss. Make sure your sandwich bread isn’t more calories than you’ve bargained for.

Having a balance among all those nutrients in your breakfast foods helps provide you with the most energy to awaken your metabolism for the day. No wonder people who eat breakfast are more likely to lose and maintain their weight loss. Breakfast eaters are also more productive throughout the day, including with exercise, another major part of the metabolism equation.