Boosting metabolism is the holy grail of weight watchers everywhere, but how fast your body burns calories depends on several things.
10 Ways to Boost Your Metabolism
Your body constantly burns calories, even when you're doing nothing. This resting metabolic rate is much higher in people with more muscle.
Build Muscle
Aerobic exercise may not build big muscles, but it can rev up your metabolism in the hours after a workout.
Step Up Your Workout
Your body needs water to process calories. If you are even mildly dehydrated, your metabolism may slow down.
Fuel Up With Water
Some ingredients in energy drinks can give your metabolism a boost.
Should You Try Energy Drinks?
Having a small meal or snack every 3 to 4 hours keeps your metabolism cranking, so you burn more calories over the course of a day.
Snack Smart
Spicy foods have natural chemicals that can kick your metabolism into a higher gear.
Spice Up Your Meals
As part of a balanced diet, replacing some carbs with lean, protein-rich foods can boost metabolism at mealtime.
Power Up With Protein
If you're a coffee drinker, you probably enjoy the energy and concentration perks.
Sip Some Black Coffee
Drinking green tea or oolong tea offers the combined benefits of caffeine and catechins, substances shown to rev up the metabolism for a couple of hours.
Recharge With Green Tea
Crash diets -- those involving eating fewer than 1,200 (if you're a woman) or 1,800 (if you're a man) calories a day -- are bad for anyone hoping to quicken their metabolism.