Happy Healthy Families

Do you want to shed a few pounds before the holiday season arrives, but cannot afford the gym or those pricey diet plans? Here are a few very cheap ways to help speed up your metabolism and burn some of that extra weight off.

1. It's true--drinking lots of water during the day will burn calories....about 35,000 a year if you drink eight 8-oz. glasses a day.

2. Lifting light weights for one hour a week will build your muscles enough to raise your metabolism by up to 12%. (try using full soup cans, books, or other items around your home if you do not have weights.)

3. Watch some funny TV. Laughing can temporarily increase your calorie burn by up to 20%, according to a Vanderbilt University study.

4. Drink Green Tea.  Try sipping green tea about 30 minutes before eating. Women who do this trick before every meal lose twice as much weight as those who did not in a recent study. Green Tea has plant compounds that boost levels of norepinephrine....which helps you burn fat.

5. Eat some protein at every meal. Having about 2 oz. of a protein at every meal helps your body burn 71 more calories daily.

6. Get More Sleep. If you do not get enough sleep it can result in a 40% increase in cortisol, a stress hormone that is proven to slow metabolism and trigger a 33% increase in hunger pangs and cravings. Harvard researchers have found that getting even 7 hours of sleep can speed up your metabolism dramatically.