When you're trying to boost your metabolism and burn more fat, it's helpful to know more about the way your metabolism works. A metabolism is the calculation of how quickly your body burns off calories. This differs with heredity, age, and body mass.

If you are looking for a sure-fire way to boost your metabolism fast and for good, the answer lies in weight training. In the past, women believed that weight training exercises would make them look bulky or even manly, but this is not the case. Women don't normally have an excess of testosterone, so the myth that weight lifting exercises will bulk a woman up like a man is simply untrue.

Pick Up Some Weights
Weight lifting is one of the most effective metabolism boosting exercises because it increases muscle strength and mass. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you will burn. This, in turn, increases your metabolic rate. For optimal effect, use small, five to ten pound dumbbells. You can either do this while just standing still or even while taking a brisk walk. You can also incorporate a side bend which will help tone your abs.

Making time for exercise isn't always easy, especially if your life is already crammed full of other obligations and activities. However, there are simple lifestyle changes you can make to easily fit in enough exercise. Try these for starters:

Mother Nature likes pack a wallop in the wintertime. She'll dump snow like there's no tomorrow -- which is what it feels like when you're in the middle of a blizzard! But the sun does shine the next day...on a vast expanse of endless snow that isn't going to shovel itself.

So, how many calories do you burn shoveling snow? Use my calories burned calculator to find out:

Exercise workouts for beginners are a great way to gradually work up to physical fitness. If you have never worked out before, or if you have been avoiding exercise for years, you'll want to start very slowly to avoid injury. First things first; be sure to check with your doctor to be sure exercise is safe for you. Once that's done, consider what kind of exercise would be best for you:

Ah, exercise. Something that's turned into a form of punishment because a lot of us were scared off by P.E. class. The trick is to find something you enjoy doing!

Sure, you can lose weight by changing your eating habits, but exercise can not only help accelerate the weight loss -- it makes your body stronger and healthier.

I've put together a list of the exercise tools and calculators you can find on FitWatch to help you on your exercise journey:

When you want to lose weight fast, there are two basic ways to do it:

You can either reduce your caloric intake, or you can exercise to burn more calories. If you had to choose only one method, it may be better to go for option #2, exercising to burn more calories, simply because reducing your caloric intake down too far can backfire so you lose weight very slowly or not at all.

If the phrase "holiday workout" brings up an exhausting mental image of fighting your way through a crowded shopping mall weighed down by bags full of gifts that now need to be carted home, wrapped, tagged, and hidden until the big day, you aren't alone.

The holiday season can be exhausting, leaving little time or desire for actual working out (as in, exercising for physical health or weight loss . . . not lugging packages around or juggling 12-dozen cookie sheets). What you may not realize is that making time for exercise each day - even during the holiday craziness - can go a long way in helping you have more stamina, clarity, and resilience.

It's a fact that regular exercise does wonders for your mind and body, but it can seem like one more chore that must be done, and it can easily get pushed to the back burner while you attend to "more important" things. Below are a few tips for making your holiday workout plan a high priority, which will enable you to get through the holidays feeling strong, balanced and refreshed.

Do you consistently procrastinate about working out? Do you do almost anything to avoid going to the gym or hopping on the treadmill at home? If so, it's time to break out of those excuses once and for all and create the active lifestyle you want.

If you've ever used the excuse, "I have no time to work out" you may be pleased to know (or maybe annoyed to know) that virtually everyone has time for exercise. More often, people who say they have no time to work out just need to prioritize their time better. You may be spending a lot of time on activities that you don't really have to do, and you can easily make time for exercise by cutting them out, or at least doing less of them.

Below are some unnecessary activities that can be reduced or eliminated to easily make time for exercise:

People who are just beginning workout routines are especially prone to exercise injuries, but they can also happen to experienced athletes. Below are a few simple ways that you can help keep your body protected from unnecessary injuries.