There are a large number of people who would pay a fortune to increase their metabolic rate. Having a high metabolic rate enables one to maintain the burning of fat and lose weight quickly with the least amount of effort. Metabolism is the rate by which the body produces and consumes energy and calories to support the body's fuctions.

There are several factors that affect the metabolism of a person, such as the amount of muscle tissue, the frequency of the meals that get eaten, hereditary factors, levels of tension, personal diet and levels of exercise. Metabolism is slowed down by the following: loss of muscle tissue because not enough physical activity is being done, the tendency of the body to cannibalize its own tissue as a result of not enough food energy to sustain it, and the reduction of physical activity that comes naturally with the ageing process.

Here are several ways to fire up one's metabolism:

1. Build up a fit and healthy body. It is only natural that metabolism decreases as we get older, but it is possible to beat the effects. The amount of muscle tissue that a person has is a very strong determinant in their ability to burn calories and burn fat. So it goes without saying that building muscle is essential. Muscles should be developed by working out at least twice a week, preferably with weights. Do easy exercises in between the full workouts. Light exercise such as walking instead of driving short distances and using the stairs in place of the elevator can assist in taking off calories. The answer is to match the input of calories to the amount of calories that you burn off.

Here are some guidelines in getting the right exercise:

For strength training -Gradually add to the number of repetitions of a particular exercise. -Increase the level of resistance -Utilize advance exercise techniques if this is possible. You may need to consult a professional trainer

For cardiovascular exercise -Insert intervals between exercises -Perform cross-training and combine the exercises - Raise resistance and speed

2. Don't go hungry in the morning. A lot of people are missing breakfast even though it is the most important meal of the day. Surprisingly, it has been found that those people who eat breakfast are thinner than the ones who do not. The bodies metabolic rate can slow down considerably if breakfast is taken during mid-morning or if one waits until the afternoon to eat.

3. Avoid sugar. Sugar is used by the body to store fat. It is recommended that a person consumes food that helps sustain an even level of blood-sugar. Additionally, regular exercise 2-3 times a week should be able to stabilize the body's level of blood sugar.

4. Never skip meals. Although it would appear to be self evident that cutting out a meal will help you lose weight, but this is not true. The problem with skipping a meal is that it slows down your metabolism. A side-effect of missing out on a meal is that, missing a meal will make you more likely to snack between meals.

5. Change your diet. Eating curries can be good for you and help lower your weight! Any food that contains peppers can increase the metabolic rate. Higher metabolism means that the body can burn fat faster.

6. Sleep more. Researchers have found that people who miss out on their sleep are at the greatest risk of gaining weight. Also, muscles are regenerated during the last couple of hours of sleep.

7. Drink more. Toxic by-products are produced whenever the body converts fat. Water flushes out these toxins that are produced. In fact, most of the bodily functions involves water, and lack of water results in an imbalance of the body's functions, and produces unneeded stress as a result.

8. Reduce the size of meals. The best advice is to consume 4 to 6 small meals that are timed 2 to 3 hours apart. Eating less food is a key part of reducing your overall calorie count.

9. Eat Energy Foods. Include more high energy foods in your daily diet. These energy foods include such items as whole grains, beans, fruits and vegetables.

10. Carefully plan your meals. Make sure in advance that you get ready the right amount of food that you have planned for each of your meals. Always stick to your planned meal times, and don't eat in between.

11. Relax! Stress, whether it is physical or emotional stress, results in the release of a steroid called cortisol, which decreases body's metabolic rate. Relaxing will reduce the amount of cortisol in your body and so keep up your metabolic rate. Another problem with stress is that people tend to eat more when stressed.

12. Change to green tea. Green tea can be drunk instead of coffee. Green tea has the ability to raise your metabolic rate, and unlike coffee, it has no undesirable side effects when too much is consumed.

Reaching your target weight if you have the determination and patience required to stabilize your metabolic level, which is so important in weight loss. If you can stabalise your metabolism then you can lose weight. The real trick is realising that eating correctly and working out is not just a passing fancy, but a way of life.