You have probably noticed that almost every magazine cover mentions that it has uncovered the "magical secret" to increasing your metabolism and promises dramatic results in a very short time. And understandably so, many of us purchase these publications and follow their instructions with visions of a six-pack in no time, all while eating our favorite foods. Obviously, this probably hasn't worked for the large majority of people and likely leaves them frustrated and unmotivated to investigate how to increase their metabolic rate in the healthy and natural way.

The other day, a client who has recently lost a considerable amount of weight by keeping a food journal and increased physical activity shared an interesting comment with me. She said that her dietician told her that exercise does not increase one's metabolism. "Huh?" I thought.

I found that to be quite an interesting statement from a professional in the health industry. The answer to this is actually YES it does, and let me explain by first breaking down the basic components to what metabolism is, and how to raise it for the short and long term.

Metabolism describes the burning of calories necessary to supply the body with the energy it needs to function. There are three major ways we burn calories during the day:

RMR is the number of calories we burn to maintain our body processes in a completely rested state (for example, while you lay or sit quietly in the early morning or after a restful night's sleep). RMR typically accounts for about 65-75 percent of your total daily calorie expenditure.

The TEF results from eating food, and is the increase in energy expended above your RMR that results from digestion, absorption, and storage of the food you eat. It typically accounts for about 5-10 percent of the total calories you burn in a day.

The last component, PAEE, accounts for the remainder of your daily energy expenditure, and is the increase in our calorie burning above RMR resulting from any physical activity. PAEE includes the energy expended in exercise, the activities of daily living, and even little movements like chewing gum! Obviously, PAEE can vary considerably depending on how much you move throughout the day. For example, your PAEE would be high if you engage in a lot of physical activity at work or exercise, or low if you are sedentary.

Your total daily energy expenditure is the sum of these three components- if it is less than your energy intake, you will store most of the surplus energy, especially as body fat. If it is more than your energy intake, you will burn some body stores of energy and over time will lose weight.

During exercise, you are working above your RMR. How much depends on the intensity and duration of your session, and this also determines the number of "extra" calories burned following an exercise session. If you had a strenuous workout, your body will take longer to return to resting state than a light workout and therefore, you will burn more calories in the recovery period.

I have been asked many times which form of exercise is better at increasing metabolic rate. My answer, likely to the frustration of many clients is neither and both! Cardiovascular exercise is amazing at burning large amounts of calories in a short time particularly with higher intensities. Therefore, endurance and aerobic exercise increases the PAEE portion of your metabolism. However, cardio is shown to have little effect on the RMR and the benefit is primarily in the activity itself. Strength training, on the other hand plays a role in increasing metabolism for the RMR portion. Regular and effective training results in an increase of muscle mass, which requires an increase in RMR. Each pound of muscle requires about 10 calories per day at rest. In summary, both types of exercise are helpful in tipping the energy-in/energy-out scale in your favor as long as you are eating a healthy diet.