So, you workout every day and you religiously watch your diet but you don’t see many changes on the scale. You don’t seem to love your love handles the same way they seem to love you. You’re frustrated and discouraged and you want to give up. It seems that all that work and effort you’ve put into your program is not paying off and you want to give up. While from your perspective this may seem like a losing battle chances are that you’re dealing with a problem that could have a simple fix.

For many in this same predicament it may be that your metabolism is just a little too slow and you need to speed it up. Your metabolism is your body’s means of burning the calories you consume and speeding it up is a major ingredient in any successful weight loss program.

“Boosting metabolism is the holy grail of weight watchers everywhere, but how fast your body burns calories depends on several things. Some people inherit a speedy metabolism. Men tend to burn more calories than women, even while resting. And for most people, metabolism slows after age 40.” – Web MD

While you have no control over your age, gender, or genetics there are ways to change how efficiently your metabolism works. Here are a few suggestions.

Build Muscle

Slow or fast, your body has to burn calories throughout your day, even when you’re at rest. Your resting metabolic rate tends to be much higher in people that have more muscle mass. On average, every pound of muscle will burn about 6 calories every day just to maintain its current condition. Each pound of fat usually burns only 2 calories every day. So, if you want to see better results from your workouts start with some strength training and build up some muscle mass. The more muscle you have the more calories you’ll burn.

Aerobics

While aerobics will not give you those great pecks or gluts you’re aiming for it can boost your metabolic rate for a period of time after your workout. The secret is the High-Intensity training that can boost your resting metabolic rate. In order to get the best results try pushing yourself in a harder class than you’re accustomed to or do some intermittent jogging spurts during your daily walk.

Hydrate

Whether or not you feel thirsty make it a habit of drinking water on a regular basis. Your body uses that water to flush those added fats away from your system. Even if you’re experiencing a mild level of dehydration your body’s metabolic rate will begin to slow down. Make it a habit to drink a full glass of water before any meal or snack and consume foods with a high water content to keep your metabolism at its peak.

Watch What You Eat

Good nutrition involves more than just counting calories and watching what you eat. It also involves the regularity of what you eat and portion control. When you consume heavier foods it could cause your metabolism to slow down as it tries to break down those foods. Instead, try eating a small meal every 3-4 hours so you’ll be able to burn more calories throughout the day and if you have been eating unhealthy for a long period of time consider going on a detox to get your digestive system working properly.

Put a Little Spice in Your Life

The spicier the better since spicy foods have a naturally occurring chemical that boosts your metabolic rate. Adding a spoonful of chili peppers into your dish can provide a temporary peak in your metabolism and kick it right into high gear. Chilies add a little spice to your life and can go with almost any dish you prepare. Try adding it to your pasta, chili, and stews for an added boost of flavor as well.

It is a hard fact of life that there are things that can never be changed. While we can’t turn back the hands of time, change the gender we’ve been born in, or rearrange our genetic composition, there are definitely things that can be done to improve our health. While these little tricks may not produce a permanent change to our metabolic rate it may be just enough to change your physical fitness level.

“To some degree, our bodies hum along at a preset speed determined by gender and genetics, but there’s still plenty of wiggle room. You have a huge amount of control over your metabolic rate.” – Active

While you may not be able to change how many calories it requires to keep your heart pumping, you can use that boost in your metabolic rate to burn an extra 500 to 600 calories a day so that you can see better results in what you can change.