Pump up your strength workout and you’ll reap the rewards long after you’ve put down the dumbbells. Research has shown that your metabolism can stay revved by 25 percent for up to 15 hours after a high-intensity strength session. Plus, regular resistance training helps keep your metabolic fires ignited daily, notes Michele S. Olson, PhD, an exercise physiologist at Auburn University in Montgomery, Alabama. This workout focuses on a slower lowering phase for each exercise, which forces the muscles to work harder, says Cindy Whitmarsh, president of Ultrafit Nutrition Systems in San Diego.

For each rep, lift the weight in two counts and lower it in eight. Do two or three sets of each move. Aim for a total of three workouts a week — after six weeks, you’ll have sleeker muscles and a metabolism that roars!

Get trim

Find Your Metabolic Rate

Your resting metabolic rate (RMR) — the amount of calories you burn before adding in any activity — accounts for roughly 70 percent of your daily calorie burn. Knowing this number should help you estimate just how much you need to eat and exercise every day. But until recently, finding your precise RMR could be done only in a laboratory setting. Enter personal RMR monitoring devices such as the BodyGem, a small tool that measures oxygen output from the breath. It is routinely used at high-end health clubs. But at about $50 for a BodyGem test, we wondered if the investment was truly worth it.

“While this data may be helpful to someone on a strict calorie-controlled diet, it has its drawbacks,” says Reed Humphrey, PhD, a professor of physical therapy at Idaho State University. “If you log in a low number, you might be tempted to cut your calories too far, which can harm both health and metabolism,” he says. Instead, concentrate on a balanced diet and regular workouts. “These are the things to invest in, since they have an impact on what you see in the mirror,” he says

Does Water Speed Metabolism?

Q&A: Can drinking water speed up your metabolism?

Yes, says Rachel Brandeis, RD, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, but the effect is tiny and temporary at best. “You might burn a few extra calories, but it won’t translate into any long-term, meaningful changes,” she explains. One study found that subjects who drank half a liter of water a day had a 30 percent increase in metabolism — but the boost lasted just 40 minutes.
Originally published in Fitness magazine, October 2005.

To help with your weight loss plans, try Slim Trim, along with diet and exercise. Click here to learn more!

Sample 5-Day Stay-Full Meal Plan

This plan provides about 1,550 calories a day. (If you need more or fewer calories, simply add or subtract a snack; each one is about 150 calories.) To help you lose weight while staying full, we’re emphasizing water-packed soups, salads, fruits and veggies. The menus also include lean protein and fiber-filled whole grains; these foods are digested super-slowly, so they’ll ward off between-meal hunger pangs that weaken your willpower. Feel free to mix and match breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks as you like.

Day 1

Breakfast

• Bacon, egg & tomato sandwich: Top 2 slices lightly toasted whole-grain bread with 1 scrambled egg, 1 slice turkey bacon and 2 slices tomato.
• 4 oz calcium- and vitamin D-fortified orange juice

Lunch

• Greek shrimp salad: Whisk together 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar, ? tsp dried oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle over 1 cup romaine lettuce, 2 Tbsp feta cheese crumbles, ½ cup sliced grape tomatoes, 5 sliced Kalamata olives, ½ sliced red bell pepper, ¼ sliced cucumber, 2 slices red onion and 10 precooked shrimp; toss.
• 10 whole-wheat pita chips

Dinner

• Risotto with saffron & scallops: Cook ¼ cup Arborio rice in 8 oz chicken stock according to package directions. Stir in 1 pinch saffron. Sauté 1 clove crushed garlic in 2 tsp olive oil over medium heat for 30 seconds. Add 4 oz bay scallops and sauté until opaque (about 3 to 5 minutes). Fold into risotto.
• 2 cups baby spinach sautéed in 1 tsp olive oil

Snacks

• 8 oz minestrone with 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan
• 4 oz all-natural rice pudding topped with 1 Tbsp dried tart cherries

Day 2

Breakfast

• 5.3 oz 2% Greek yogurt with honey, 1 sliced banana, 1 Tbsp chopped walnuts

Lunch

• 2 oz smoked turkey slices, ½ sliced apple, 1 slice Cheddar and 1 Tbsp honey mustard on 2 slices whole-wheat bread
• ½ cup cucumber salad (sliced cucumbers drizzled with white vinegar and seasoned with salt and pepper)

Dinner

• Chinese food takeout: 8 oz ginger chicken with broccoli, 5 oz garlic sugar snap peas, ½ cup brown rice

Snacks

• ½ cup soft-serve chocolate ice cream
• 1 cup cantaloupe chunks and 1 cup pineapple chunks, topped with ¼ tsp chopped mint

Day 3

Breakfast

• Strawberry French toast: Dip 1 slice whole-wheat bread into 1 large beaten egg. Fry in 1 tsp butter over medium heat until golden, 2 to 3 minutes, turning halfway. Top with 1 cup sliced strawberries tossed with 1 tsp sugar.
• 8 oz nonfat or 1% milk

Lunch

• Southwestern veggie burger: Prepare 1 black-bean veggie burger according to package directions. Serve on whole-wheat hamburger bun with ¼ sliced avocado, tomato and onion slices, and 1 Tbsp barbecue sauce.
• 10 blue-corn tortilla chips

Dinner

• Cranberry-chicken couscous: Combine ¼ cup dried cranberries, ¼ tsp curry powder and ½ cup chicken broth. Bring to a simmer. Add ¼ cup whole-wheat couscous. Cover, remove from heat and steam for 10 minutes. Add 4 oz cubed grilled chicken breast and 1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley; toss.
• 1 cup string beans with 1 tsp olive oil

Snacks

• 16 oz light mango smoothie (Try Jamba Juice Jamba Light Mango Mantra, or make your own smoothie by blending ½ cup frozen mango chunks with ½ cup calcium- and vitamin D-enriched orange juice and ½ cup nonfat vanilla yogurt.)
• 1 oz cinnamon-brown sugar roasted almonds

Day 4

Breakfast

• 1 cup whole-oat cereal (such as Cheerios), 1 cup blueberries, 2 Tbsp almonds, 8 oz nonfat or 1% milk

Lunch

• Small 3-bean chili and ½ roast beef sandwich with wasabi (spread 1 Tbsp wasabi mayonnaise on ½ kaiser roll and top with 2 oz lean roast beef, ½ tsp pickled ginger and romaine lettuce)

Dinner

• 4 oz meat loaf
  1 small baked potato with 1 Tbsp sour cream
  1 cup sliced carrots roasted in 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

Snacks

• 1 mini Babybel cheese and 1 apple
• 10 pretzel twists dipped in 2 tsp Nutella hazelnut spread

Day 5

Breakfast

• ½ cup cooked oatmeal with 1 tsp brown sugar and 1 Tbsp each dried cherries, dried cranberries and dried blueberries (or try Starbucks Perfect Oatmeal)
• 12 oz nonfat cappuccino

Lunch

• Peanut butter and banana pizza: Spread 1 whole wheat pita with 1 Tbsp peanut butter. Top with ½ sliced banana. Drizzle with 1 tsp honey and broil for 2 minutes.
• 8 oz nonfat or 1% milk

Dinner

• Mexican rice bowl: Toss ½ cup cooked brown rice with ½ cup each drained canned black beans and microwaved frozen corn. Top with ½ cup diced tomato, ¼ cup chopped onions, 2 Tbsp shredded Cheddar and ¼ cup chunky salsa.

Snacks

• Two 2¼-in. homemade chocolate chip cookies; 8 oz coffee with 1% milk
• 1 pear, quartered, sprayed with nonstick cooking spray and roasted at 400°F for 15 minutes, topped with ½ cup vanilla frozen yogurt

11 Satisfying Foods (Keep this list with you!)

1. Vegetable- and-bean-based soups and chilis
2. Fresh fruits and vegetables
3. Baked potatoes
4. Main-dish salads with vinaigrette
5. Lean broiled or baked meat, fish and skinless white-meat chicken
6. Brown rice, whole-wheat couscous risotto, pasta and polenta au naturel or with a light vegetable or tomato sauce
7. Whole-grain cereals
8. Small servings of olive oil, canola oil and butter
9. Small portions of natural tortilla and regular potato chips (Fat-free ones aren’t satisfying)
10. Mini-servings of cookies, ice cream and brownies
11. Coffee, tea, nonfat cappuccinos and lattes

To help with your weight loss program, include Slim Trim.  Click here to learn more.