Exercises To Increase Your Metabolism & To Lose Weight Fast

Building lean muscle through weight training and tossing a few sprints into your cardio workout can both help you lose weight fast by increasing your metabolism. Keep it humming by drinking plenty of water and eating foods rich in lean protein, healthy fat and whole grains every two to three hours and getting plenty of fresh produce.

Swimming

A moderate workout in the pool burns an impressive 500 calories and increases muscle tone and definition. Increase the intensity, and you can easily burn as many as 700 calories per hour depending on your weight. Perform all four strokes to work your muscles from different angles. This produces greater size and strength gains for increased calorie burn even outside the pool. Also, consider making every fourth lap a sprint with the butterfly, which requires more energy than the more mellow breaststroke or backstroke.

Cycling Intervals

Take your bicycle to a hilly area for a natural interval training routine. A study published in The Journal of Applied Physiology found that interval training produced 36 percent greater fat oxidation after only two weeks. Study participants exercised on a stationary bike at a vigorous pace for four minutes followed by a two-minute rest. Take your bike to the hills and climb for four minutes, then cruise for two. You can increase your fat metabolism after only seven workouts.

Circuit Training

The National Academy of Sports Medicine recommends circuit training as an effective way to burn calories and build lean muscle, which keeps torching those calories even after you've stopped your workout. Moreover, a circuit training workout increases your excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, a fancy way of saying that it increases your metabolism. For the most efficient circuit training workout, hit the gym with a plan and lift heavy weights--at least 70 percent of your one-rep maximum--with a minimum of rest between sets.

Running

Step up your three-mile-per-hour walk to a moderate five-mile-per-hour jog and you could step up your weight loss. In a study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, participants who logged 20 miles per week jogging lost about two pounds of belly fat--not to mention fat lost from other areas--each month over the course of the eight-month study. Throw in some sprints for even greater fat blasting.