Boosting your metabolism means burning more calories throughout the day and can make you lose fat and feel more energetic.  Who doesn’t want that??  Here are some quick tips to help your metabolism increase:

1. Eat small portions frequently.  Aim for eating every 3-4 hours.  That’s 4-6 small meals/snacks.  Too much time between meals puts your body into starvation mode, which causes your body to store any available energy as fat.  It literally makes you fatter to wait 6 hours before eating again, so don’t do it!
2. Move daily.  Maybe you don’t always have time to get to the gym and do a solid 60-minute workout.  Parking far away from the door and walking the extra distance is better than nothing!  5 Minutes is better than no minutes!  Get your family/friends involved so you’ll be more likely to stick with it.
3. Eat protein throughout the day.  Examples:Eggs at breakfast, tuna at lunch, chicken at dinner.  Other good sources include Greek-style yogurt, quinoa, beans, meat, milk, cheese.  Aim for 20g protein at each meal (3 eggs, OR 1 cup beans, OR 4 ounces meat/fish/poultry).  Men and larger people need more; you can estimate 1g protein per 2 pounds body weight to find your daily need.
4. Build muscle.  Muscle burns more calories than fat, so the more lean muscle mass you have, the faster your metabolism works!  So lift heavy things, or do any kind of resistance training, and build that muscle.  Three times per week is best.
5. HIIT (high-intensity interval training).  Sprints, hills, burpees, or whatever.  Get up to those intensity levels where you can hardly breath.  Once a week, 5 reps, 60 seconds of High intensity sprints, with 90 seconds of rest.
6. Beneficial foods:  fish, green tea, coffee, eggs, organic produce, iron-rich foods like meat and lentils, water, chili peppers, and calcium- and fiber-rich foods like dark leafy greens.  Watch out for trans fats which can slow your body’s ability to burn fat.

So, there you have it.  Quick tips about eating and moving to help you burn more fat and have more energy.  Try it and let me know how it’s working for you!!