Metabolism is defined as the amount of calories (energy) that you burn – it is the conversion of calories to usable energy.  How fast this happens is what your metabolism is.  As we age, our metabolism does slow because we are not as active and we lose muscle.  This can be prevented by staying active and performing strength training.

Everyone no matter their age, has the ability to increase their metabolism.  The following tips on increasing your metabolism will help your body build muscle and burn more calories.

Strength Training -   Perform strength training only three times a week with at least one day of rest in between sessions.  Pick two exercises for each muscle group (legs, arms, back, chest, shoulders) and perform two sets per exercise.  Each exercise should be done very slowly so you really work the muscles.  Change your program after you notice a slow down in progress.  After your workout your metabolism will be elevated for several hours.  As you build more muscle, you will automatically be burning more calories all day.

Aerobic  Exercise – Perform at least thirty minutes of aerobic exercise three days a week or more.  A variety of different exercises will keep it from getting boring.  Try something new – exercising on a mini-trampoline gives you a great workout.  Take a water aerobic or dance class.  Make it fun.  Interval training will burn extra calories – add short bursts of high intensity to your routine.

Don’t pass up a chance for activity.  Take the stairs, go inside instead of through the drive up, do some squats when you are waiting for dinner to cook, do some leg lifts while sitting on the couch watching television, lift your arms up to the ceiling and back down while you are waiting for your computer to load.  Even small movements will help.

Eat smaller meals every three or four hours.  This will increase your metabolism – your body won’t ever think that it is starving and put itself into hibernation mode (slow down).

Drink more water to flush the toxins from your body and to stay hydrated.

Make sure you are eating a healthy diet which includes vegetables and lean proteins like eggs, chicken, or nuts. Your body burns more calories digesting protein.  Increasing your fiber with foods such as vegetables will also increase your metabolism. Stay away from refined carbohydrates; they will slow down your metabolism.  Make sure you include omega-3 rich foods such as fish and flax seed in your diet – they are found to dramatically increase your metabolism.

Don’t get stressed out. Stress has been shown to stimulate the release of the hormone cortisol which slows down the metabolism and causes weight gain.  Emotional eating is also a problem when there is excess stress in our lives.

Get more sleep.  Studies show that not getting enough sleep can slow down your metabolism.  Try to get at least seven hours of sleep every night.

Incorporate these tips on increasing your metabolism and you will be on your way to burning maximum calories, losing weight and sculpting a lean and slim body.

For information on a healthy weight loss program that really works, visit Healthy Diet Solutions.

Dieting and losing weight are not usually considered enjoyable activities, but there are several fun ways to lose weight. When you find activities that you enjoy doing you will be burning calories and losing weight without even realizing it. Here are a few of the most popular ones:

Exercising On A Mini Trampoline – also called a rebounder. This one of the most fun ways to lose weight that you will ever do. You will feel like a kid again. Bounce, dance and jog. There are so many different exercises you can perform. Exercising on a mini trampoline burns more calories than regular exercise does. It works all of your muscle groups for a total body workout. A word of caution – start slowly – you will be working muscles you don’t normally work. Start with a five to ten minute session and work up to a thirty minute workout. Vary your routine – bounce, do some jumping jacks, jog, and march. You will have so much fun with this, you will look forward to doing it every day.

Dancing – Most people think of dancing with a partner when they are out for the evening, but for a great workout at home, crank up the music and dance by yourself. Put on your favorite fast music and dance. It is a great workout that burns lots of calories and works many different muscles. It also puts you in a great mood. It’s a fun and easy way to lose weight. Going out for an evening of dancing can be more fun than sitting in a movie theater or going out for dinner. There are many dance classes available – sign up for one.

Swimming – Swimming laps or just playing around in the pool burns calories and is easy on the joints. Water aerobic classes are lots of fun. It doesn’t even seem like exercise. Most local community centers have an indoor pool and offer water aerobic classes. Grab a friend and go for it.

An easy and fun way to burn calories and lose weight is to replace your office chair with a stability ball. You can also sit on it to watch television. A stability ball (balance ball) will also improve your posture. They now make special stability ball chairs. They are comfortable and will tone your muscles just by sitting on them.

Another fun way to lose weight is to experiment eating different fruits and vegetables.  There are so many different varieties in the grocery store.  Try new ones every week.  Eating organic foods will also give you additional nutritional benefits.

In order to lose weight you have to eat less and move more. When you start to add some fun ideas into your routine, it make it much easier. Be creative and you will succeed. Exercise doesn’t have to be difficult and boring. There are lots of fun activities you can get involved with. Mix it up and enjoy.