You may have heard the term metabolism recently; it is mentioned a lot when it comes to losing weight. Although it is not something we can see or touch our metabolism is the process of all the physical and chemical processes within the body that create and use fuel for energy. Metabolism is directly related to energy levels, so the higher your metabolic rate the more energy you have throughout the day.

Your metabolism is the engine that drives every cell in your body. Its fuel is the calories that you eat as food. Each one you consume goes into a metabolic tank that keeps your engine running. Your metabolic rate is based on the number of calories we burn throughout the day. Our body constantly burns calories to keep us going whether we are eating, sleeping or working.

As you age, your body becomes less effective at burning calories, mostly because of a gradual decrease in activity and resulting loss of muscle mass. Your metabolism can dip as much as 25 to 30% over your adult life. As a result, without optimal metabolism your body tends to store excess calories in the form of - you guessed it - fat. The problem for many people is they don't ever use these excess calories and as a result struggle with weight issues. Clearly you can see you could be in for a battle with weight gain if your metabolic rate declines. Some people have a naturally slower metabolic rate and have a harder time staying slim.

Several factors can lower your resting metabolic rate. If you severely restrict the number of calories you eat, your body thinks it is in famine mode, so it burns fewer calories. This leads right in to the second problem. Deprivation diets of less than 1200-1400 calories per day send your body in diet shock and strip your body of lean muscle tissue.

Consider this: 500 grams of muscle tissue burns approximately 50 calories a day, while 500 grams of fat burns about 5 calories a day. So if you lose 5 kilos of muscle due to a strict diet or inactivity, your body will eventually burn about 500 fewer calories a day.

The good news is there is one way to alter your metabolic destiny. Strength training is the only way to build lean muscle and will increase your calorie burning mass. Additionally, weight training can keep your metabolism revved up by 25 percent for up to15 hours after a high-intensity strength training session, while cardiovascular exercise such as walking or jogging yields little or no calorie after burn.

For most people, strength-training can help boost metabolism by as much as 10% in 12 weeks by rebuilding lean muscle tissue. There is a direct relationship between muscle mass and metabolism. In other words, by building your muscles you are increasing your ability to burn fat more efficiently throughout the day even when you are not exercising.

You can jump-start a sluggish metabolism with a strength training program which will have long lasting health benefits for you. Not only will you lose excess body fat and gain lean muscle tissue, you will have more energy to burn and you will feel great. Soon you will feel healthier and stronger, and in time you will see the results of a toned, healthier body.

You can increase your metabolic rate further by making small but targeted lifestyle changes. Anything that energises you - regular exercise, sunlight, infrared heat therapy, a healthy diet, small regular meals throughout the day, a good nights sleep ultimately helps drive metabolism and keep it humming all day.

If you are trying to lose extra kilos of body fat, or preparing for the inevitable metabolic slowing that comes with age, it is relatively easy to boost your metabolism if you are committed to doing so by following a strength training program a minimum of twice per week.

This will keep your energy pulsating, help you stay young, improve your health, help you fight disease, and get your body in better shape.