Some of the ways to boost metabolism include changes to your diet and changes to your exercise routine.

Even if you run regularly and are careful about your diet it can sometimes seem that there is perhaps a little too much round the tummy or thighs and sometimes you just don't have the energy you feel you should have. Maybe you tried to run more or eat less but all that happened is that you got tired and hungry. This could be because your metabolism is slowing down. If you are over 30 years then your metabolism starts to slow down naturally by about 1% every year. There is action you can take to slow down the slow down and even boost your metabolism!

There are three types of metabolism at work in your body. They are:

Basal Metabolism,

Activity Metabolism,

Thermic Metabolism.

Basal Metabolism

This is your resting metabolism. Surprisingly basal metabolism accounts for about 60% of all calories burnt during the day. These are the calories you burn just to stay alive.

Activity Metabolism

As the name suggests this is your working metabolism.This accounts for all the calories you burn whilst doing everyday activities and any exercise like running. Approximately 30% of your daily calories are burnt in this type of metabolism.

Thermic Metabolism

The final 10% of calories you use are allocated here and are used for digesting your food. The important thing to remember here is that some foods take more energy to digest.

With a little attention to your exercise routine and your diet you can raise all three metabolic rates. First of all lets look at the exercise. To increase your activity metabolism you will need to work hard. That means upping the intensity of your workout. Add some speed sessions to your routine,for example: do 2 to 4 mile repeats at 10k race pace or 5 x 800m repeats at 5k race pace. you could do some short sprints at top speed for 15 to 20 seconds with 2 to 3 minutes walk in between. This sort of activity will raise your metabolism higher than longer slower runs and also has an added bonus of raising your basal rate for a couple of hours after you have finished running.

Running or exercising twice a day can make a difference because you will have the effect of the raised basal rate twice over. An example would be to run in the morning and then circuit train or do weights in the evening. It is important to ensure you are getting adequate food and drink to fuel these sessions.

Weight training can boost your metabolism because as you build muscle your basal rate increases. Muscle burns more calories at rest than fat does.

What you eat has an effect on your thermic metabolism, some foods use more calories to digest than others. Protein generally takes longer to digest and so burns more calories. If you can have some protein at every meal you could raise your thermic metabolism by 1/3. A couple of glasses of milk during the day will give you the calcium needed to boost metabolism too. Calcium helps in fat burning by making your body prefer fat for fuel. High fibre foods also slow digestion which means more calories burnt. Eat lots of fruit and vegetables throughout the day. Spicy foods that contain capsaicin temporarily raise your basal rate. Stay hydrated all day. You need water to digest your food and becoming dehydrated slows your metabolism and makes you tired.

A small amount of caffeine can make you more energetic and alert, so the odd cup of coffee can also raise your metabolism.

So with a few simple tweaks to your diet and training program you will start to loose some fat, gain some muscle and run better.with these ways to boost metabolism.