We all envy those who have a genetically high metabolism. I’m sure you know at least one person who is super lean, can “eat anything,” and stay that way.

Those people are about one in 200, and they inherited a great microbiome blend, with a fast thyroid, hyper liver, and superhero mitochondria (to name just a few reasons). Good for them. Must be nice.

For the rest of us 199 out of 200, we have to work for it. Here’s how, in order of importance:

1.) Move, move, move! Research shows that a sedentary lifestyle is the biggest reason people get fatter and weaker with age, so do the opposite of that. Find Xcuses to move more and Xercise! The X Gym’s 21 minutes workout is worth about 3 hours of traditional training, so that’s a time hack for ya’. Locals can join the X Gym and non-locals can train with us live online, or get our app.

For non-Xercise options, a standup desk (with an incline walking treadmill under it is even better) boosts your metabolism about 15% over sitting. If you must sit, get a Swiss ball for your chair, which will keep your core more engaged and your posture straighter (and while you are sitting on it, do the soleus pushup). Walk or bike (instead of driving) places like the Europeans do. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park in the farthest parking spot from the door you can find instead of the closest. Turn down your thermostat. If you tend to work hard and get lost in your work, wear short clothes so you have to stop and move to warm up (click here to see how PJ does it in just 45 seconds with socks on a hard floor).

2.) Eat fat-burning foods. Click here to download PJ’s RAD/SAD chart, showing you lots of options, with the faster-burning foods toward the top.

3.) Drink more filtered water. For people between 100-250 lbs. the following formula should work: Take your bodyweight in pounds, divide it by two, and that should be about how many ounces you should be drinking. Related: Click here to take a deep dive into Hudor…

4.) Get 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night. Crappy sleep increases the hormones that break you down (e.g. cortisol) and makes fat harder to burn and easier to store. Yes, it is that important!

5.) Reduce your stress. Being stuck in fight/flight mode all day (like most Americans are) also releases those same metabolism-busting hormones that crappy sleep does, so setting aside 5 or more minutes a day for breathing meditation can work wonders. Can’t/won’t meditate? That’s probably because you don’t have the right brain type for it. Then click here to discover what alternatives would be right for your brain type.

Do these five things diligently and your daily metabolic rate will increase 35-55% starting the day you start. Even if you have a slow metabolism (I call them “supersavers“), you can change turn that around starting today!