1. TIME YOUR PREMEAL SNACK
Eating a low-carbohydrate protein
bar 90 minutes before you work out will enable you to exercise longer
and harder (and burn more calories) than you normally would, says Steve
Zim, author of Hot Point Fitness. However, that 90-minute mark is
crucial. Eat any closer to your workout, and blood will rush to your
stomach, actually diminishing your performance.
2. BREATHE THROUGH YOUR NOSE
Inhaling and exhaling through your nose, rather than your mouth, helps
stabilize your heart rate and (like the preworkout snack) increase your
endurance. The result? You work out longer and burn more calories. But
don't get discouraged if it feels unnatural at first — it takes about
six to eight workouts to perfect.
3. DO CARDIO LAST
Strength-train before doing any cardiovascular work, says Ken
Fitzgerald, owner of Lift Gym in New York. Why? It takes the body about
15 minutes to warm up and start burning fat. So, a 30-minute bike ride
is really only burning fat for the last 15 minutes of your workout. But,
if you lift weights first, your body is warmed up by the time you hit
the bike, and you'll burn fat throughout the entire ride.
4. VALUE VARIETY
Do
the exact same workout every time you hit the gym, and your body will
start to adapt to it — and eventually stop burning as many calories,
says Zim. So if you jog one day, try biking or swimming the next. Or, if
you weight-train from the shoulders down one day, next time, begin with
your legs and work up. The important thing, Zim says, is to keep your
body guessing.
5. DON'T SLOUCH
Slumping over the
handlebars on a stationary bike inhibits the amount of oxygen your body
can take in — and slows your fat-burning process, says Fitzgerald. The
bars and handles are there to help you balance, not to support you. If
you can't move without holding on, slow down.
6. TRAIN IN INTERVALS
The best way to burn fat is to work out as hard as you can for as long
as you can, says Malick Diop, a trainer at Equinox Gyms in New York.
But, if you're just starting to exercise, interval training's your
ticket. Two minutes on the treadmill at, say, 7 mph, followed by two
minutes at 5 mph, then back to 7 mph (and so on) for 20 to 45 minutes
will whittle away pounds and build your endurance. Eventually, you'll be
able to extend the high-intensity periods (and decrease the low ones)
until your whole workout is done at top speed.
7. ADD LIGHT WEIGHTS
It's a fact: The more muscle tone you have, the more calories you burn —
even when you're sitting still. So, if you can't seem to find time to
weight-train and do your cardio, Zim suggests doing bicep curls
and overhead presses holding two- to three-pound weights while you're
fast-walking or stair-climbing. This will build muscle tone, helping you
shed more fat during your cardio workout than you would without the
weights.
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