Free Ways To Speed Up Your Metabolism

Forget diet pills and magical weight-loss solutions. The key to losing weight is to speed up your metabolism so it burns calories faster. The easiest ways to do this involve small changes to your diet and workout routine, and most of them will cost you nothing. Rather than giving in to the newest diet fad, head to your kitchen to get your metabolism revved up.

Eating Habits

Even if you do nothing else, force yourself to eat more. In a "Redbook" article on speeding up metabolism, Liz Applegate, Ph.D., a professor of nutrition at the University of California at Davis, said that eating too little can cause your body to slow down the burning of calories as a way to protect itself from starvation. To know how many calories you should be eating every day, multiply your current weight by 11. Then adjust your daily eating habits so you can meet those numbers.
Also, add hot spices to your food. They can increase metabolism for up to three hours after your meal, according to Weight Loss Resources. Cayenne pepper, spicy mustard and chili are all good examples of hot spices that raise metabolism.

Exercise

Muscle speeds up metabolism, so the more you have, the better. To gain muscle without paying for a gym membership, buy yourself two pairs of dumbbells, one of which should be slightly heavier than you think you can handle. Then use online workout helpers to design an exercise routine (see Resources). You can also do push-ups, squats and lunges to help you build muscle.

Protein Intake

Because protein is harder to digest than other foods, it causes your body to burn more calories to process it. According to the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (published by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services), up to 35 percent of your daily calorie intake should come from protein, reports the University of New Mexico. If you don't want to count calories, simply add a serving of protein to each meal you eat.
Dairy products should also be part of your weight loss efforts. Not only do they contain protein, but their calcium content also increases metabolism, according to a study by Michael Zemel, Ph.D., reports Discovery Health.