You can’t judge a metabolism by its cover. Two people could have the same height, weight, BMI and wear the same size but have a wildly different body composition, making one the calorie burning equivalent of a Bic lighter and the other a blowtorch.

Metabolism is the total number of calories your body burns each day. 65% 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% devoted to the process of digesting the very foods that may have given you that muffin top in the first place. The remaining 25% 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.

Don’t be intimidated by strength training. The more muscle you have the more calories you burn. Lean tissues, including organs and muscles on average burn 14 calories a pound a day, while fat only burns about 3 calories per pound. The absolute amount of muscle in you determines the overall speed of your resting metabolism (the amount you burn just sitting around) and some of us are born with an edge in the amount of muscle fibers we’ve got. Hit the gym and take advantage of free weights and strength training machines. They’re good for building lean muscle and will help increase your metabolism.

Metabolism does slow over time but it doesn’t do a sudden nose dive as you sit binge watching Netflix. Metabolism drops off 2 to 4 percent every decade as we tend to lose muscle mass. Every workout is a potential answer to how to increase metabolism, not just during but also afterward. A 50 minute weight routine delivered an additional afterburn of 14 calories. Between sets, add cardio bursts or shorten the rest, and that afterburn spikes- to the tune of 25 calories following a quickie 19 minute circuit session.

High-intensity interval training in a quick way to ramp up your body’s ability to use fat as fuel. The speed bursts spark a 20 percent increase in the amount of fat burned, and that’s just one of the benefits of HIIT.

Protein has a high thermic effect; your body will burn more calories to digest it. People who eat a high protein breakfast control their hunger longer and their weight better.

Stay away from sodas, alcohol, and calorie laden beverages. They’re the exact opposite of how to increase your metabolism. Drinking green tea is an effective way to get EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate), an ingredient known to speed up metabolism. Three cups of green tea a day can increase metabolism by up to 10%.

A metabolism no-no is skipping meals; you put yourself on that path toward fasting, which signals the metabolism to slow way down. You should eat at least three to four times a day instead of only one to two times to keep your metabolism up and avoid excessive portions with large meals.