While there are some of us who can snack away all day and still stay super-slim, there are others of us who need only to look at food to feel our hips start to expand. If you’re in the latter group, your metabolic rate may be to blame.

Metabolic rate (otherwise known as your metabolism) is simply the rate at which our body burns up it’s energy stores. While it is true that some of us are blessed with super-speedy metabolisms (ie: Miranda Kerr), the rest of us could do with giving our metabolism a good old kick up the backside. Try these simple tricks to cheat your way to a faster metabolism…

Eat chillies

Heidi Klum swears by this spicy food for maintaining her slim physique and chillies have long been thought to increase metabolism, so get your chilli fix today!

Drink more water

Aim to drink 6-8 glasses of water a day. Regular water intake gets the body’s systems moving and performing at their peak and is thought to have a positive effect on sluggish metabolisms.

Get moving

Regular exercise is proven to raise the body’s metabolic rate, which means that you’ll keep burning fat long after you’ve finished your jogging session. Three times a week is all it takes.

Eat frequently

Note: we are advocating more often, not eating more food. Regular small meals consumed once every 2-3 hours help to keep the metabolism running at top speed throughout the day. Long periods without food can cause the metabolism to slow down, so eat healthy snacks like raw nuts and fruit in between meals.

Don’t skip breakfast

Breakfast isn’t called the ‘most important meal of the day’ for nothing! Your metabolic rate drops during the night when you sleep, so it’s essential to eat a substantial meal after you wake up to get your metabolism kick-started. Skipping breakfast means you begin the day with a slow, sluggish metabolism – and once you’ve started the day with a slow metabolism, it’s extremely difficult to speed it up.