One of the best ways of losing weight is by burning more calories.  Of course everyone thinks of exercise when it comes to calorie burning – and with good reason, exercising so you burn more calories than you consume is a great way of losing weight.

But one of the reasons that exercising is so powerful is not just because of how good it is at burning calories directly, but also because it ups the bodies metabolism.  It is the metabolism that decides how many calories you burn when you are doing things, such as exercising, and even when you are resting.

How to up the metabolism

So what ways are there to up the metabolism, ensuring you burn more calories?

• Exercise.  As we mentioned above exercise is one such method of burning calories, interestingly though it is weight lifting that gives the biggest metabolism boost, not aerobic exercises like running or cycling, so make sure to include at least a few weights in your workout.
• Eating.  Your body goes into ‘hibernation mode’ if it doesn’t eat – which simply means it will conserve energy (calories) by burning less, so don’t starve yourself if you want to lose weight.  Similarly eating little and often, rather than a couple of big meals, will help keep the metabolism up.
• Spicy foods.  Spicy foods are another very useful way of boosting our body’s metabolism, so make sure that some of your foods have a bit of a kick to them!
• Keeping ourselves hydrated.  Burning calories needs water, so it is important we don’t become dehydrated if you are looking to give our metabolism a nudge up a gear or three.
• Getting enough sleep.  Our body doesn’t cope well with being sleep deprived, and will look to save energy if this becomes the case.  A good nights sleep will help get the metabolism going faster when you wake up.