8 Ways to Increase Your Metabolism

You can't judge a metabolism by its cover. Two people could be the same height and weight, have the same BMI, and wear the same size, but have wildly different body compositions (aka the amount of muscle vs. fat in your body), making one the calorie-burning equivalent of a Bic lighter and the other of a blowtorch. (Whoa—eating more may actually be the secret to losing weight.)

Metabolism, simply put, is the total number of calories your body burns each day. Sixty-five percent of those calories are used up for 24/7 functions like breathing and circulation­—the top burners are your brain, liver, heart, and kidneys—with another 10 percent devoted to the process of digesting the very foods that may have given you that muffin top in the first place. The remaining 25 percent of the calories you burn can be chalked up to the physical activity you do in a day—not just spin class but every move you make, including standing in line or posting your latest Instastory.

It’s not all genetic: How to increase metabolism has a lot to do with your daily habits.