Want to burn more fat and calories when you walk, swim, or run? Then take a break.

Want to burn more fat and calories when you walk, swim, or run? Then take a break.


The rate at which your body burns fuel may be boosted even higher if you break up a long cardio session into two back-to-back 30-minute sessions with a 20-minute break in between. Breather, anyone?

Start. Stop. Repeat.
How can scientists tell that a 20-minute rest helps rev up your fat burning? Men in a study who did just that (in between 30-minute sessions on a stationary bike) showed elevated blood levels of free fatty acids -- higher blood levels than those produced during a single 60-minute cycling session. And that bump in free fatty acids is a sign of increased fat burning: Circulating blood levels of free fatty acids go up when your body starts to break down fat.

More Ways to Burn Fat
Here are a few more ways to boost the fat- and calorie-burning powers of your power workouts:

* Do cardio before strength training. Here's why . . .
Wait for Weights

Rating: 4 out of 5
Rate It
Subscribe
Last 30 days »
This Week's Tips:

* Give Your Workout a Break
* Blood Pressure Aid
* Everything Green Is Gold for Knees
* All About YOU: How to Heat Your Olive Oil
* Foods That Fill You Up Without Fattening You Up

* Our Most Popular Tips »
Maximize the calorie-burning benefits of your workout by tackling cardiovascular exercise before strength training.

Doing cardio first can help you exercise longer, and thus burn more calories, than you would if you were tired out by weight training first. And finishing your workout with weights helps boost post-workout metabolism -- the rate at which your body burns calories after you're done. The result may be an overall better calorie burn, according to a small study.

Although all types of exercise -- cardiovascular, strength, and flexibility -- help you burn calories, cardio workouts result in the greatest calorie burn. Because of this, it may be best to do your cardio exercises first while you are fresh. You're likely to spend more time on aerobic exercise and work out harder if you haven't tired yourself out by doing other kinds of exercises first. On the other hand, strength training results in the greatest boost in post-exercise calorie burning. It boosts your metabolism for a longer period of time, helping your body burn more calories after your workout is done. Ultimately, this means that doing your cardio workout first can help ensure that you achieve the maximum calorie burn from it, and ending your workout with a strength-training session helps ensure your post-exercise metabolism stays high.

* Eat more of this.
•Burn, Baby, Burn
Your exercise program is more likely to help you burn off the fat that you eat if you consume mostly unsaturated fats.

A recent study revealed how exercising helps the body oxidize, or burn, fat consumed long after the workout. However, in the study, exercise appeared to help burn only the unsaturated fats consumed. It had no effect on the rate at which the body oxidized saturated fats eaten at a later meal.

Exercising can help your body burn the fat that you eat even hours after you have finished your workout. However, the kind of fat that you eat makes a difference. Exercise appears to help your body more efficiently burn unsaturated fats eaten at a later meal. Unsaturated fats are fats that come almost exclusively from plants products, such as olive oil or canola oil. Saturated fats come almost exclusively from animal sources, such as lard and butter.
* Build some muscle. The more muscle you have, the more readily your body burns calories.


RealAge Benefit: A physical activity program that builds stamina, strength, and flexibility can make your RealAge as much as 8.1 years younger.

Related Posts by Categories

Related Posts by Categories