Increase Metabolism

Metabolism is the process of breaking down carbohydrates, proteins and fats to yield the energy that the body needs to sustain itself. The rate of one's metabolism depends on the calories that are burned based on the basal metabolism, the interaction between the number of calories that are consumed, and the number of calories that are burned while eating and exercising. There are a few ways to increase the metabolism and keep it revved up, but you cannot actually change your basal metabolism. However, regardless of what your basal metabolism is, you can increase the metabolic rate by increasing muscle mass, engaging in high to moderate intensity interval training, eating every few hours and getting adequate sleep.

Features
Increasing muscle mass not only increases metabolism, but it enhances the performance of the rest of the body, especially as we age. Just building 5 lbs. of lean muscle mass will increase the metabolism by roughly 100 calories each day. Each extra pound of muscle you carry can burn up to 50 additional calories in order to maintain the muscle. It is comforting to know while exerting yourself through a high-intensity workout that the hard work will result in an increase in metabolism that continues to burn calories even hours after a workout.

Benefits
Weight training not only builds lean muscle mass that increases the metabolism, but it increases energy expenditure during a training session. The high to moderate intensity of strength training indicates a higher utilization of carbohydrates during a training session. Post-exercise, the body’s energy expenditure is elevated for a period ranging up to 2 hours, depending on the ratio of fat to lean muscle mass an individual has. This increased energy demand is met by burning more calories, and a good portion of these calories will be coming from stored fat. It must also be noted that the addition of lean muscle mass on an individual will cause an increase in the number of calories that are used at rest.

Theories/Speculation
It is very helpful to eat every 2 to 3 hours in order to keep the metabolism stoked; it's like continually adding wood to a fire to keep it going. Every time you eat, you are stimulating your metabolism, which means that the more often you eat (not necessarily large quantities), the more you are increasing your metabolism. Eating frequently is a way to reassure the body that it is not going to starve. However, skipping meals here and there and pigging out when a meal is eaten causes the body to hoard the meal, storing fat in case the next meal never comes.

Considerations
Eating frequently doesn't mean eating large portions or eating junk food, but instead it means making an effort to prepare healthy and balanced meals and snacks. Having healthy meals and snacks readily available allows you to make wise choices about what you do eat, so that you are making an effort to include foods that are going to help increase the metabolism. For example, adding high-fiber foods like vegetables is an excellent way to increase your metabolism, because fiber is a non-digestible carbohydrate, but the body tries hard to break it down anyway, using up energy and increasing the metabolism in the process. In addition, vegetables are low in calories yet bursting with nutrients.

Expert Insight
A lack of adequate sleep can alter your metabolism and can decrease the number of calories the body uses. Not only that, but a lack of sleep is known to cause low energy levels and irritability. An imbalance in the body, whether it is from food consumption or sleep patterns, causes the body to store fat, and in return the metabolism decreases.