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The Secrets to a Fast Metabolism

Dear Women Over 40,

Having a fast metabolism sounds great, doesn't it? Imagine being able to eat more food than you do now and actually lose weight? Can this be possible?

While your metabolism does have a lot to do with how many calories you eat, the notion that you can speed up your metabolism so much that you can eat anything you want and still lose weight is a little silly. However, there are things you can do to get your metabolism revved up to a point where you can eat decent meals that leave you satisfied without packing on the pounds.

The first thing I need to say here is you're not going to be able to boost your metabolism to the point where you can sit around eating chocolate cake all day and still be thin. In fact, a big part of boosting your metabolism is eating well-balanced, healthy meals.

Another part is, of course, exercise. You want to combine cardiovascular exercise, which will raise your metabolism temporarily, with weight training which will raise your overall basal metabolic rate and allow you to burn more calories than you do now while you are at rest and play.

When you're considering your cardiovascular exercise routine, you might want to schedule it in before a meal. This will not only help to curb your hunger but it will also raise your metabolism for a few hours after exercise is finished, therefore, allowing you to burn more calories during the meal itself.

Everyone knows that muscle burns more calories than fat so, if you want to raise your metabolism to peak levels, your goal should be to have a lean body that is as muscular as you can get. In order to do this, you need to get serious about your weight training program. Now, I’m not saying you have to train to be in a weightlifting competition but you want to beef up the exercises that you do on all your major muscle groups whether it be with free weights or machines. The more muscle you can have on your body, the faster your metabolism will be.

The final ingredient in the secret to a fast metabolism is the meals that you eat. First of all, never skip a meal! When you do this your metabolism slows way down because it goes into conservation mode thinking that it needs to conserve energy since the food is available. Unfortunately, your metabolism doesn't realize that the next meal is sitting right in the fridge and skipping meals can do a lot more harm than good.

You want to be sure to eat several smaller meals throughout the day as opposed to your main three meals. What this will do is keep your metabolism stoked, kind of like you would to keep a fire stoked by continually adding pieces of wood. This will allow you to generally burn more calories throughout the day.

Your meals should consist of lean protein, whole-grain and vegetables along with a little bit of fruit if you like. You want to include all three of these elements in a meal because it is more nutritionally balanced and will help your body to process the food more efficiently.

While there is no “magic pill” for a fast metabolism, putting these steps into practice will help you speed yours up as well as increase your overall health!

Women Over 40 Health

SBI!