Have you noticed that some people burn fat faster than others? Or, that some people seem to be able to eat whatever they want and they still stay thin? Well this has to do with a person’s metabolism; how fast it works.

Because of genetics, some people do burn fat faster than others. However, age, weight, diet, and exercise habits also have an effect on your metabolism rate. As you age, your metabolism slows down, mainly because, beginning as early as your 20’s you can lose 5-6 pounds of muscle every 10 years. The less muscle mass you have, the slower your metabolism works. This means, you are burning less calories every day as you age. But, you can speed up your metabolism!

Of course you can cut calories, especially extra ones. But, don’t dramatically cut calories from your diet. Your body is programmed to maintain your weight, so if you cut too many calories, like 1000, your metabolism will actually slow down.

Add interval training to your cardio workouts. Doing interval training just 2 times/ week burns more calories than standard cardio workouts. In fact, studies show that when you add interval training you actually lose 2 times as much weight.

If possible, break your workout into two shorter sessions. Walk or run on your lunch break and do 15 minutes of weight training after work. You could burn an extra 100 to 200 calories in a day. Run up the stairs at work, even small bursts of activity can get your metabolism going.

You have heard it before, but eat breakfast! Those who eat breakfast lose more weight than those who don’t. Your metabolism slows down as you sleep and only speeds back up when you eat again.  Start up and speed up your metabolism  by eating a 300 calorie breakfast.

Eating extra protein can cause you to burn and extra 150 -200 calories/day. It is harder for your body to burn protein so your metabolism works harder to break it down.

5 to 7 smaller meals is much better than 3 larger meals. If you eat healthy and small all day, your metabolism works fast all day every day.

Start working out with weights. Weight training is the best way to speed up your resting metabolic rate. As we’ve said, as you age, your metabolic rate slows. Weight training can speed it up again: A pound of muscle burns up to nine times the calories a pound of fat burns.

Need help losing weight or sticking with your fitness routine? Contact Answer is Fitness.

It is winter and traditionally we tend to put on weight this time of year. This goes back to evolution, we needed a little winter padding to stay warmer before there were things such as hand warmers and heat.

But today, we don’t want to gain weight in the winter. If we can prevent gaining those few extra pounds, in winter, we won't have to worry about losing them in the Spring. How can we keep the weight off this winter?

Decadent comfort foods are delicious and soothing in the winter, but don’t overdo it. Generally they are packed with calories.

If you have a dog, you know, it is actually never too cold to go for a walk. Get outside, shovel instead of using a snow blower if possible. We live in the Northeast, embrace the cold and buy some snow shoes.

If cold is just not your style, take yoga classes, run on a treadmill, swim in an indoor pool or weight train at a gym. Figure out a way to break a sweat, your mood will improve too. Be sure to exercise at least three times a week to burn calories and prevent illness.

Are fresh vegetable too expensive because they are not in season? Eating frozen vegetables is good for you too. All the fiber will make you feel less hungry.

Don’t wear baggy clothes. There are two problems with this. The first: you forget about the body under that big sweatshirt, and second: baggy, cozy clothes promote sitting around and vegging on the couch. Put on clothes that fit.

Need help this winter keeping off the weight? Contact Answer is Fitness in your area.