Stoking Your Metabolism

All good advice: http://shine.yahoo.com/event/loveyourbody/natural-ways-to-boost-your-metabolism-1548722/

In Short:

First: Gain muscle. Muscle burns more calories then fat does so this is great advice. I like to use my yoga practice as my resistance training because I loathe lifting weights, but whatever works for you.

Second: Keep hydrated. And, by "hydrated" it means WATER, not some sugary or artificially sweetened drink. The more water you drink, the less you'll eat, and I can attest that switching from processed drinks to pure water will do wonders for your skin.

Third: Cardiovascular Exercise. Get up off your butt and move!!! And, I don't just mean a sweat inducing work-out. Find excuses to just move around during the day. Walk somewhere that you'd normally drive. Take the extra walk out to your mailbox instead of waiting until you drive by it. Put on some music and just dance. Take that extra hike up the stairs instead of piling things on the bottom for one big haul up. Take the walk to your co-worker's office instead of just sending an e-mail.

Fourth: Drink Coffee. My favorite, since I love a hot, steaming cup of coffee in the morning, even on the hottest days. A cup of coffee can naturally stimulate your metabolism, but don't go overboard. Drink one or two cups at most. Also, this does not give you an excuse to go to Starbucks and get a double vanilla latte with whipped cream or another similar caloric disaster masking as coffee. A "cup of coffee" means just that. Coffee with maybe a little skim milk or milk alternative. I drink my morning coffee with unsweetened almond milk since dairy now disagrees with me. Plus, I love the nutty taste the almond milk adds.