Following 5 simple daily habits can help you boost your metabolism and lose weight

(NaturalNews) When it comes to weight loss, nearly everyone is looking for a quick fix. Many of us live complicated lives filled with stresses originating from all angles. Unfortunately, Western society normalizes the constant flow of activities, distractions and pressures, tricking us into feeling like we should be capable of juggling it all, but it's really not the intended way for humans to live.

Performance at work, meeting your bills, taking care of your family, making time for friends and maintaining a healthy weight and diet are just a few of the everyday expectations many of us are pressured to achieve. Weight loss might rank towards the top for many, but creating time for daily exercise can be a daunting task.

It's easy to make excuses, number one being fatigue, not to exercise after a long day at work. We've all been there.

Fortunately, there are ways to boost your metabolism naturally, helping your body perform optimally when you do find time to get your heart pumping.

Some of them you're probably already practicing and, luckily, you likely enjoy; however, directing your awareness to them will make these five simple daily habits much more effective.

1. Consuming multiple meals throughout the day
This first one is classic, and quite enjoyable. Eating several small, healthy meals during the day keeps your metabolism running at its optimal level, and of course, breakfast is the most important one.

Your metabolism, or metabolic rate, controls basic functions like your heartbeat, breathing and thinking

Many of us are guilty of skipping breakfast, and guilty you should feel, because enjoying a good breakfast first thing in the morning kick-starts the fat-burning process. After eight hours of sleep, your body is starved. Satisfying this hunger helps curb unhealthy cravings before lunchtime, and can increase your metabolism by up to 10 percent, according to the Norris Cotton Cancer Center.

2. Laughter
Just like they say, "laughter is the best medicine," and when it comes to weight loss, it's no exception.

However, this medicine only works under one condition: the laughter has to be genuine. According to the Department of Medicine at Vanderbilt University, just 10 to 15 minutes of genuine laughter a day helps boost your heart rate, and therefore your metabolism.

So find someone or something that makes you laugh, and have a great time.

3. Green Tea
Several studies have shown that drinking green tea helps support weight loss by reducing your appetite and increasing your metabolism. The caffeine in green tea makes this possible. A 2007 report from the American Journal of Physiology: Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology found that green tea may also inhibit the effects of catechol-O-methyltransferase, an enzyme that triggers the breakdown of brain chemicals involved in regulating appetite.

4. Spicy Foods
Eating spicy foods helps raise your body temperature and triggers the sympathetic nervous system, allowing your body to produce sweat and burn calories. Capsaicin, the active ingredient in chili peppers, can increase your metabolism by 20 percent and reduces your energy intake, which aids weight loss. Your metabolism works faster for up to 30 minutes after eating spicy foods.

5. Walking for 5 minutes
Walking or jogging in place for just five minutes helps boost your metabolism, and the more effort you put in, the faster it works. "Walking increases the demand for energy, which actually increases your metabolism," according to Medical Daily. The farther you walk, the longer your metabolism functions at a higher level.

Start practicing your five daily weight loss habits today, and enjoy a healthier lifestyle and a smaller waistline.

Additional sources:

http://altmedicine.about.com

http://www.medicaldaily.com

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

http://science.naturalnews.com