Research tells me that if I want to ward off another battle with breast cancer I ought to work out vigorously for at least five hours per week. I think I'm complying with this recommendation but I'm not so sure. What exactly does "vigorous" mean when it comes to fitness?

Researchers cited in Fitness magazine's May issue say it's anything with a metabolic equivalent (MET) intensity level greater than 6.0. Apparently, my MET ranges from 0.9 while sleeping to 18 while running at 10.9 miles per hour. I don't think I'll ever reach that intensity level but a 6.0 -- I can surely do that. If I want to up my performance and reach an even higher MET, I can add 12 vigorous moves to my routine. See gallery for making the following activities a bit more challenging.

• Running
• Biking

• Step aerobics

• Jumping rope

• Boxing

• Soccer

• Swimming

• Backpacking

• Canoeing

• Mountain climbing

• Roller skating

• Tennis

Not everyone has the most stellar metabolism, but that's why the rest of us go exercise and eat healthy to make up for it! However, as this article puts it, there are a few things you can do to get the furnace burning.

The first tip is probably the smartest. Eating enough, and eating often, is integral to building a strong metabolism. I never understood why starvation diets were popular among certain groups of people. The effect is quite counter-productive to losing weight. Instead of shedding pounds, these people end up with slower metabolisms! So try eating enough food if you want to ensure a strong metabolic system.

Eating fiber is also another way to boost your metabolism. Why? Because fiber is harder to digest, so our bodies have to work harder to process it. Just like protein, this stuff produces the "thermogenic effect," which is a fancy name for expending energy to digest these foods. Don't forget about working out. Weight training is an excellent way to engage your muscles and get that metabolic increase afterward. It all boils down to getting the most out of your metabolism, so check out the other tips here!

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There have been lots of blogs over the last couple of months about getting in shape for summer. It is that time of year when many of us are feeling a bit desperate to lose a few pounds or tone up a few jiggly spots in time to hit the beach. A great way to speed up your progress is to speed up your metabolism.

Some people are born with a fast metabolism, meaning the chemical reactions in their cells occur at a pretty quick rate, so they burn off fat and calories more easily than those with slow metabolisms. According to this article though, there are ways to speed up your metabolic rate, which will help decrease the amount of time it takes to fit into a new bathing suit.

I've heard that eating spicy food helps, but that isn't one of the tips listed. However, it does say to drink lots of green tea to speed up the rate at which calories are burned and to increase the amount of protein you eat to help facilitate fat loss. Check out the article for more tips as well as explanations on how each will help you get yourself in shape a little bit quicker.

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