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60-second shape-up: Metabolism boosters and a total body workout in 3 moves

Day two of our "60 Second Shape Up" features tips to rev your metabolic engine. Try these four strategies (and delicious recipes) to help increase your body's calorie burn!1. Protein-pack your meals.  While we get an uptick in our metabolism after eating all food, we get the greatest boost after eating protein because it's harder to breakdown than carbs and fat. Plus, protein helps to maintain ou

Day two of our "60 Second Shape Up" features tips to rev your metabolic engine. Try these four strategies (and delicious recipes) to help increase your body's calorie burn!

1. Protein-pack your meals.  While we get an uptick in our metabolism after eating all food, we get the greatest boost after eating protein because it's harder to breakdown than carbs and fat. Plus, protein helps to maintain our lean muscle mass, which we all know burns more calories than fat tissue. With that in mind, go out of your way to incorporate protein-rich foods like chicken, turkey, pork tenderloin, fish, seafood, tofu, lentils and egg whites into your meals. Need some yummy ideas? Try this Sautéed Turkey Sausage with Peppers and Onions and this Baked Tilapia with Spicy Tomato-Pineapple Relish.

2. Kick up the heat. Research shows that adding hot spice to food can slightly increase metabolism, thanks to a compound in hot peppers called capsaicin. If you can’t handle straight up peppers...hot sauce and cayenne powder work just as well. Add these low-cal flavor enhancers to just about anything, like hummus, scrambled eggs, on top of light popcorn…sky’s the limit. If you’re up for the challenge, try my Fiery Chicken Salad.  

3. Grab some green tea and ginger. Green tea contains phenols that have thermogenic properties, and ginger has also been shown to give your metabolism a slight push in the right direction. Try coupling the two together and enjoy a warm or chilled cup of ginger-green tea. And definitely give my Supercharged Smoothiea try.

4. LOL— literally. It turns out that laughter burns 10-20 percent more calories during a bought of the giggles. Hilarious, right?! Thus, I highly recommend going out of your way to laugh at least 2 times a day (aim for full-blown bouts of hysteria). Enjoy the Sunday funnies, comedic videos on YouTube, hang with funny friends, and watch 30 Rock and Parks & Rec on NBC.  

For summer slim-down tips follow Joy on TwitterFacebook and Pinterest.

Get a full-body workout in three moves
Who has time for a full-body workout and cardio? Anchor Jenna Wolfe shows how to work your whole body with three exercises which use multiple muscles. These moves include both strength and cardio elements to save you time while burning lots of calories.

  • Mountain climbers
  • Push-up/Pike
  • Shuffle/drop

In case you missed it, check out day one of 60-Second Shape Up: Suppress your appetite and burn 100 calories fast

Come back for tomorrow's "60-Second Shape Up" to find out how to burn calories while enjoying breakfast!