How to move my boot disk to an external Thunderbolt disk?

So my wife and I both have Late 2010 iMac's. Her's died. We got a new thin-style iMac one and restored her from time machine. It was perfect - except for one thing. The 1TB disk drive that's not replacable in her iMac *****. It's just the 5400 RPM model and it's REALLY sluggish. She's been using it a year now, and complains about the speed of her computer.
I know there are USB3 and Thunderbolt disk options out there - so I'm thinking that perhaps moving her boot disk to an external thunderbolt disk makes total sense - a little big disk for instance, is light-years faster - and she'll be able to work better with that.
The question is - how do I move her boot disk over to an external drive? I'd also want to make sure the external disk is the default boot disk for this until it's time to replace the thing - is that possible?

This is meant to address several comments:
Of course, preferring a 7200 vs. 5400 rpm drive is a matter of personal preference (as is preferring an MBP over an iMac or whatever). My personal preference: the best quality (and that includes speed) I can afford/decide to spend for the intended task). I also do not buy drives that do not include their own power source.
And - to me - the 5400 is noticeably slower in everyday tasks. I had a malfunctioning external 7200 rpm drive; the mfr sent me another under warranty. I did not know that they had switched to 5400 rpm drives until I did my first clone to it. I was surprised that it seemed to take longer than usual, so I tested it: did one clone each from the same machine to two drives (same mfr, one 5400 and the other 7200) using CCC (did not use the machine or add/delete anything in between). The result: the clone to the 7200 drive finished in 38 minutes, the clone to the 5400 drive took 50 minutes. To me, that is a noticeable difference; I believe that cloning can be considered an everyday task.
The fact that the OP's drive is sluggish may, indeed, have another/different cause. I addressed his question whether or not he would be able to run his iMac from an external source. And yes, he can if he wishes to do so - I outlined the how-to steps.
For me personally, a 5400 drive will not do - for someone else, it might be just right. You may not perceive the difference in speed, but I do. Since that is a matter of preference and everyone has their own and is therefore entitled to their opinion - mine may be different than yours; however, that does not make it less valid.
That is my last post re. the differences of opinion; I'll be happy to discuss any technical issues related to the OP's concerns.

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