Your metabolism refers to how quickly your body burns up calories. If you have a friend who eats a lot but doesn’t really gain weight, then they probably have a fast metabolism.

Unfortunately, your metabolism is generally based on genetics, so you can’t really do anything about that. And it depends on your age as well, as your metabolism slows down as you get past forty. At that age, you might want to think about Athenix Body Sculpting to help you get trimmer.

Still, there are ways for you to boost your metabolism, so that your body is more efficient at burning up calories even when you’re not working out. Here are some tips that can help.

Build Up Your Muscles

When you go with strength training, you obviously burn up calories during your workout. But weightlifting workouts also activate your muscles so that they’re more efficient in burning up calories during the course of the day.

Basically, people burn off more calories even at rest when they have more muscles. You burn off about 6 calories a day for every pound of muscle you have. In contrast, you only burn off 2 calories for every pound of body fat. So, it makes a lot more sense to lift weights so you can burn off the fat and build up your muscles.

Consume More Protein

You need more protein to build up your muscles. When you lift weights, you’re actually causing microtears in your muscles, and then your body uses up protein to rebuild the muscles, causing the muscles to get bigger.

Your body also burns off more calories when you’re digesting protein, compared to when you’re digesting carbs or fat. Try white meat chicken, fish, turkey, and lean beef.

Go with Some High Intensity Aerobic Exercises

Jogging may not build up your muscles, but it can improve your metabolism after the workout. To really optimize the results, you should go with high intensity exercises as much as you can. Studies show that your body burns more calories for a longer time after the workout if you do high intensity exercises, instead of going with just moderate-intensity workouts.

If you normally just take a brisk walk each day for exercise, try to out in some jogging time as well. And if you’re already a jogger, insert a bit of high-intensity sprints during your run. That should really help improve your metabolism for the rest of the day.

Hydrate

To burn calories more efficiently, your body needs water. In fact, even mild dehydration can slow you’re your metabolism. Studies indicate that people who drink at least 8 glasses of water a day burn off more calories during the day than people who only drink 4 glasses of water a day.

Try drinking a glass of water before every meal (or snack). That will also help you to feel full, so you don’t overeat.

Go with Frequent but Smaller Meals

It’s better for your metabolism that you have a small meal or snack every 3 or 4 hours, rather than to have 3 large meals during the day. When you have many hours in between meals, your metabolism just slows down during those hours.

Don’t be afraid to snack in between meals. Studies have indicated that regular snacking generally leads to smaller meals. Also, you can always snack on healthier fresh fruits and veggies, and these foods will also help to hydrate you.

Add More Spicy Foods to Your Diet

Try adding perhaps a tablespoon of chopped green or red chili peppers into your stews and pasta dishes. Not only do the peppers add better tastes to your meals, but spicy foods also have chemicals that can really boost your metabolism.

Try Energy Drinks

Energy drinks aren’t really good for everyone. The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages teens and children from indulging in these caffeine-laced drinks. They can also be problematic for adults with sleep issues, anxiety, and high blood pressure.

But if you’re an adult without these problems, the energy drinks might help. The caffeine causes your body to use up more energy. Many energy drinks also contain taurine, which is an amino acid that boosts the metabolism and also helps with burning off fat.

Drink More Coffee

Again, this type of drink isn’t for everyone. Too much coffee can cause sleep issues, and they’re not good for anxiety or high blood pressure.

But the caffeine in moderation can be a benefit. It gives you more energy, and it can also improve your endurance for your workouts.

Drink Oolong or Green Tea

These teas not only offer caffeine, but they contain helpful catechins as well. Studies suggest that drinking 2 to 4 cups of oolong or green tea can cause your body to burn off 17% more calories during even moderate-intensity workouts.