Looking for ways to increase your metabolism? Committing to a realistic 20-30 minute strength conditioning circuit daily, not only jump-starts your metabolism but sets the right mindset for staying active and making healthier food choices.

Implementing regular strength training into your routine will increase muscle and more muscle means a higher metabolism and more calories burned long term. Taking a full-body approach with minimal rest between exercises will increase oxygen demand, keep your heart rate up and maximize calorie expenditure.

Metabolism Booster (4 exercises x 30sec – 1min each x 3 sets)

Exercise 1: Goblet Squat to Lunge

Hold the weight upright in between the palms of your hands

1. Toes out
2. Sink back into the heels
3. Step left into a diagonal lunge and alternate each side

This exercise targets everything from your upper body, legs, glutes, hamstrings, and brings your heart rate up. If you have knee issues go slow or lose the weight and just use your body weight to do the exercise. You can even do a forward lunge instead of verticle.

Exercise 2: Weighted Lateral Shuffle 

1. Hold the weight out in front of you extending your arms straight from your chest
2. Keep your shoulders back
3. Shuffle left to right and stay on the balls of your feet

You can modify this exercise by not using a weight at all and modifying the speed of the shuffle.

Exercise 3: Squat Chop 

1. Go into a squat position
2. Have the weight at the side of the hip and bring it up above your shoulder in a nice follow-through motion

To modify this exercise you can drop the weight or go more shallow in your squat

Exercise 4: Plank Jacks Push Up 

1. Feet wide apart
2. drop into the push-up
3. come in with the feet and back out

To modify this you can do the push-up from your knees or walk your feet out and back in.