It’s all the things going on in your body that use up energy and cause you to burn calories quickly or slowly. When people say they have a “fast metabolism” that means they burn calories fast, and can lose weight fast.
What can you do about it?
- Get some exercise each day. Your metabolism speeds up when you are active, and it can also stay higher for up to 24 hours after you stop exercising.
- The more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn. So if you do exercises to get stronger, and you will burn calories faster even when you’re sitting still.
- Don’t starve yourself. If you go too long without eating, your metabolism slows down. Eat regular small healthy meals and snacks every few hours to keep your metabolism moving faster.
- Get enough sleep. Not getting enough sleep slows down your metabolism and your body will burn less calories.
- Eat more fish. Some research shows that the kind of fatty acids found in fish oil can speed up your metabolism