Easy Ways to Burn Fat!

Did you know that everybody's metabolism slows with age? Burning just 100 fewer calories per day can result in an extra 10 lbs of weight gain per year. Don't despair though - there is hope! Here are some strategies for burning extra calories throughout your day.

Rev up your metabolism in the morning.

Do a quick 5 minutes of light exercise to wake up your metabolism in the morning like walking, jumping rope or doing jumping jacks.

Eat in the morning!

If you don’t start your day with some sort of breakfast, your body goes into starvation mode and your metabolism slows. Skipping breakfast is also bad for your blood sugar. If you don’t like the traditional cereal, eat left-overs from last night or something simple like peanut butter and an apple.

Speaking of eating - no starvation diets. If you consume less than 1,000 calories per day, your body assumes you are starving and your metabolism slows down.

Eat More Fiber

Whole grains such as brown rice, wheat germ, dark bread, whole-grain cereal, oatmeal and bran leave you feeling full because they take longer to digest than simple carbohydrates. In a study from The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School evaluated the dietary intake of more than 74,000 women for 12 years. Overall, women who regularly ate the most whole-grain foods — about 1.5 servings a day — gained less weight than women who ate the least.

Build Muscle

Build muscle- muscle burns more calories than fat so the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn. The bad news is, we lose muscle as we age - if we don't actively try and maintain it. Part of the reason metabolism slows with age is that people lose muscle mass as they age but this can be reversed by strength training. Try for 2-3 strength training workouts per week. Either take a class at the local Y or buy some bands and small weights and work out to music at home.

Add Protein to Your Diet

Resting metabolism increases two to three times more after eating a quality, lean protein rather than consuming simple carbohydrates, like a donut or sugary cereal.

Eat Yogurt or Low-Fat Cottage Cheese

In a recent study from the International Journal of Obesity, women who ate three daily servings of lowfat yogurt lost 60 percent more fat than women who didn't. Foods rich in calcium, like milk, yogurt, low fat cottage cheese or hard cheese, reduce fat-producing enzymes and increase enzymes that break down fat.

Take a Walk After Eating

Your metabolism picks up by 10 percent after eating, and just a few minutes of activity, like walking, could double that boost for up to three hours. Head out for a 10 minute walk withing 15 to 30 minutes of eating a snack or meal. Other light activity will work as well, climbing stairs or doing your strength training exercises for the day.

Drink Metabolism-Boosting Green Tea

Green Tea has it all. It's high in immune boosting antioxidants to keep you health and it also increases metabolism. Plus, if you are replacing sugary drinks like soda with green tea, you save hundreds of calories and grams of sugar. If you don't care for green tea, look for flavored brands or put a couple drops of stevia in your tea. Stevia is a natural sweetener, made from plants, which zero calories.

Add These Vitamins to Your Diet

• B vitamins help boost energy, especially vitamin B-12. Take a good B complex vitamin daily.
• Co-enzyme Q10, also known as CoQ10, which supplies energy to muscles

Add Energy Exercises to Your Routine

Energy Exercises such as yoga, tai chi and Reiki help move energy along the pathways of the body and keep energy channels open.

Get Enough Sleep

Studies show that people who get 7-8 hours of sleep a night keep their weight steady or lose weight, while those who are sleep deprived actually gain weight. Besides, if you are fatigued, you are more likely to reach for empty calorie carbs to boost energy-like a donut!

Can't Sleep? Find some natural sleep tips here