An independent variable is a variable believed to affect the dependent variable. This is the variable that you, the researcher, will manipulate to see if it makes the dependent variable change. In our example of hungry people throwing a ball, our independent variable is how long it's been since they've eaten.
1 Spice up meals-it's not an old wives tale after all! 2  Spices like chilli are thought to raise metabolism by up to 50 percent for up to three hours after eating, due to increasing your heart rate. 3  But before putting the local Indian takeaway on speed dial, work out which curries have the lowest calorie and fat content.
Increasing Metabolism. How metabolism can be boosted, and the effect of the body's muscle mass and heart rate on the burning of calories. Metabolism is the number of calories the body burns and is made up of three components: resting metabolic rate, physical activity and a smaller amount needed to process food.