Forget all the fads and diets floating around the media. The closest thing we have to a magical weight-loss formula is interval training. Essentially, it's the process of alternating uncomfortably fast running speeds with leisurely ones. Even if it averages out at running less distance in the long haul.
This can seem counterintuitive to some. Running at a decent pace for a long amount of time sounds more effective, but it actually levels out pretty quickly. Your body becomes used to burning calories at a certain level of intensity, and from that point onwards you burn pretty much whatever it says on the treadmill. With interval training, let's say two minutes of high intensity and a whopping three minutes of low intensity running, your body is constantly being lulled into a lower-energy state, then forced into overtime to keep up with the high intensity workout. When you've left the gym your metabolism will reflect this regimen, and burn calories at a much faster rate for the next 24 hours in anticipation of intense exercise.
As an added bonus, workouts feel faster with interval training. They break up a half hour run into nice clear milestones.
Always Start with Cardio
A lot of people like to throw in some strength training with their cardio. Losing weight is all well and good, but when the fat is gone you'll want a toned, fit body to appear from underneath. When you're headed to the gym always start off with the treadmill or stepper, not the strength trainers. Training muscle groups burns a small amount of calories in the end, even if you move between different groups regularly. If you're coming straight off the treadmill your entire body is experiencing high activity, with high calorie burn. Hitting the weights afterwards will keep the remainder of your body from relaxing, even if it's not being directly used. You'll burn a lot more calories from the exact same amount of workout, so it's an opportunity you may as well take.
Using Proper Technique
If you slouch on technique you majorly cut down on calorie burn, but a lot of people don't seem to realise this fact. We've all seen them at gym, turning the treadmill up and grabbing onto the bars, or trying out max intensity on the stepper with most of their weight carried on the handles. It may look intensive, but your entire body never hits a truly intensive state.
Let your arms move freely, pull in your stomach and feel the strain through your entire body. If possible, put some more active arm motions into your running. It doesn't seem like much, but you'll begin to see the difference.
Mira Burton has been writing about health and fitness for years, from strength training to cheap weight loss supplements. She recently became a featured contributor to Muscle Finesse, and is hoping to reach a wider audience than ever.
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