Increasing your metabolic rate simply means revving up the rate at which your body burns calories. In other words, if your metabolism is high, this means that your body is burning calories fast, even when you are not toiling hard at the gym. And that\’s good for everybody.

On the other hand, a sluggish metabolism invariably results in weight gain because calories pile up on other calories that haven\’t been used up. In other words, you\’re consuming more than your body is burning up. However, there\’s a way out.But first, here are four facts about metabolism that everyone should know.

Gender: Men generally have higher metabolic rates than women. This is because men are generally larger than women, they also posses less body fat. A mans basal metabolic rate is calculated be to somewhere around 10 percent to 15 percent higher than that of women.

Age: Metabolism drops by about 5 percent every decade after a person hits 40 years of age. This is simply because as we get older, we tend to lose more muscle and gain more body fat. Meanwhile lean muscle mass burns more calories than fat tissues. So you can understand what happens to a persons metabolism as they lose muscle mass with age.

Hypothyroidism: When your thyroid is under active, this will slow down your metabolism and eventually lead to weight gain. But this condition can easy be detected through a simple blood test, and can then be controlled with proper medication.

Genetics: This is another factor that plays a part in a person\’s metabolic rate. Some people simply have the genetic luck that predisposes them to fast metabolism-quick conversion of calories to energy. Others are not so lucky.

For this later category of persons, just remember that increasing your body\’s metabolism is always a good idea, whether it is to lose weight or simply to maintain a sleek appearance. Here are 5 things you can do to rev up your metabolism.

Do Not Skip Breakfast: If it\’s not already there, try to add breakfast to your daily meal planner. It\’s amazing how many people skip breakfast these days. Paradoxically, many who skip this first meal of the day do so with the mistaken belief that it helps them lose weight. Quite the opposite!

The meal you eat in the morning is what prepares your body for the day\’s metabolic duties. It helps the body to process more efficiently whatever other food you eat in the course of the day. No, it doesn\’t have to be heavy meal. A healthy 250-calorie snack taken in the morning may just be enough to boost your metabolism for the rest of the day.

Watch What You Drink-and Their Temperature: As routine as it might seem, truth is that just adding ice to your drink is one way to boost your metabolism. This is because your body is going to have to work harder to heat the food up in your stomach before it could be absorbed into your bloodstream.

Include Spices In Your Meal: The U.S. Agricultural Research Service states that consuming a mere