Five ways to rev your metabolism plus we tell you how to incorporate them into your daily routine 

What exactly is our metabolism, I hear you say? Good question. In its simplest form metabolism is a set of chemical reactions that take place in the body that turn calories to energy. We need this process to take place in order to breath, move, work out – do anything. Metabolisms start to slow as we get older, which in turn means that we store fat more easily but there are ways in which we can give it a boost by what we eat and how we live. Here are our top five ways of increasing your metabolism…

6.30am Swap your lie in for cardio and weights

Both of these are great ways to speed up the rate at which your metabolism burns. Let’s start with cardio. The aim of the game here is to really get your heart rate up. Running and cycling are both great options. You’ll not only burn calories whilst you are working out but you’ll continue to burn them for some time afterwards.

We then suggest you do weights, not to bulk up, but to turn any fat you have into muscle. Muscles burns more calories than fat (around six calories per day per pound compared to fat’s two pounds per day). So that chocolate bar (dark chocolate we hope) actually burns up more effectively if you have lots of muscles.

10.30am Swap your English breakfast tea for a green tea

Green tea has something called thermogenic properties, which helps warm up the body. When your body creates heat it needs to burn more calories, which in turn increases your metabolic rate. As well as this, green tea is also full of antioxidants that are great for warding of cancer so it’s a win win! Top Tip: Green tea can taste really bitter but it is all in how you make it. Put the tea bag (or leaves) in the mug and poor in about 1/3 cold water first then fill the rest of the mug up with boiling water. Leave for no longer than 30 seconds before taking out the tea and drinking.

1pm Swap your olive oil for chili oil on your salad

As you probably would imagine of chili due to its fiery taste, it is a great metabolism booster. Much like the green tea – chili raises the body temperature causing increased calorie burn. Add it to salads or dips. Failing that Moctezuma do the most delicious chili chocolate… Eat chocolate and increase your metabolism at the same time? We think they’re onto a winner there.

7pm Swap your mindless TV watching for an early evening dip (in cold water)

Yes – we agree that this is probably the least appealing of all the suggestions but taking the plunge in cold water really is a great way to speed your metabolism up. This is because your body digs into its fat stores and burns whatever is there to create the heat needed to raise your body temperature. If you really can’t face this though – you can take an easier option and just have a cold shower and body brush to boost circulation.