How can I speed up my metabolism?

There are only two behavioral modifications that you can do to help speed up your metabolism. Do not skip meals, especially breakfast because you have already fasted while you slept. And make sure you get daily aerobic activity, such as walking, biking, hiking, dancing or anything that raises your  heart rate.

If you vary your diet so that you get more calories once in a while, your metabolism will speed up to meet the need of burning the extra calories without your gaining any weight. Then the next day when you eat less again, your metabolism will still be higher so your body will burn fat to meet the energy needs of the higher metabolic rate. If you add in exercise, you will maintain a higher metabolic rate which will expedite the process even further.

You can boost your metabolism buy building more muscle which increases your average daily metabolic rate. The more muscle, the more calories you burn just sustaining it.

If you’ll pick up the pace of you cardio workout buy pushing yourself up into your higher intensity zone you’ll get a longer after burn; it will increase your resting metabolic rate for longer periods of time. Try a walking/jogging routine with a 30 second sprint thrown it.

These two things will give you the biggest boost but there are also little things you can do also.

• Eat breakfast. You’ve been on an overnight fast for up to 8 hours and your body needs refueled.
• Instead of eating three large meals, eat more often with five to six smaller meals.
• Drink your water. Dehydration slows you metabolism.
• Eat more protein; it burns more calories to break down protein then it does carbs.
• The caffeine in coffee and green tea will also rev your metabolism to burn more calories.
• Morning workouts will rev up your metabolism for hours.

You best bet though is to build muscle and live an active lifestyle.

To keep your weight off permanently, you have to keep your metabolism up and running efficiently. Those who eat only one meal a day, usually a continuous dinner, never get their metabolisms to work at top efficiency. When you get up in the morning, eating just a little something will kick-start your metabolism, which helps to burn those calories more efficiently. If you don't eat in the morning, your metabolism stays in its nighttime mode and burns inefficiently.

Here are ways to boost your metabolism and keep burning those calories:

• When you wake up, eat within half an hour. It can just be a piece of fruit. However, by mid-morning have a complete breakfast, including some protein, carbs and fruit. It can be as simple as yogurt, fruit and some dry cereal.
• Don't allow yourself to go more than three hours without eating.
• Avoid overeating at any meal. If you leave the table feeling stuffed, your body will process only what it needs for energy. The rest winds up stored in your body as fat. Overeating is often the result of skipping a meal.
• By doing weight-bearing exercises, you'll increase your muscle mass and burn calories more efficiently.
• Exercise is one of the best ways to boost your metabolism and keep it running at a faster pace. Take the stairs, walk a few blocks, exercise at lunch or after work.