High intensity intervals are one of the best ways to burn fat – and keep burning it throughout the day.
Your session should last about 20 mins. Try 30 seconds of sprinting followed by 90 seconds of walking, repeated 10 times.
Then load up on omega-3-rich oily fish, such as salmon, served with salad leaves, tomatoes and raw peppers. Omega 3 foods keep you satiated and turn on fat-burning genes.
When planning your warm up, makes sure you include specific movements that mimic the ones in your workout.
Think about the areas of the body that will be used and perform dynamic (moving) stretches that will take your muscles gently through a full range of motion.
This prepares your body for the movement patterns and also gives you time to improve them before adding further load.
Did you know that turmeric boasts antioxidant compounds that could repair your body post run.
Curcumin, the spice’s active ingredient, fights inflammation, providing relief to aching muscles.
Try sprinkling it over roasted vegetables or adding it to soups and stir-fries.
Poor posture creates fatigue by causing muscles, ligaments, and joints to work harder than they do when your body is aligned correctly.
Experts estimate that looking down at a 45-degree angle uses five times more energy than holding your head in an upright position. The added strain on muscles also decreases blood (and oxygen) flow to your brain by as much as 30 percent, making you feel tired.
To check your posture, draw an imaginary line from the middle of your ear through the centre of your shoulder and hip. Or have someone take a photo of you from the side – bad posture is easy to spot.
Correct your slouch by strengthening back muscles. Try two sets of 20 shoulder rolls forward and backward twice a week.
A recent survey discovered that the average British woman will spend 31 years of her life on a diet! If you’re looking to banish the fat, take a look at these exercising tips.
Explode the fat
Also known as jump training, plyometric exercises, involve stretching the muscles prior to explosively contracting them.
This type of training mimics the motions used in sports such as skiing, tennis and volleyball. Due to the level of intensity of this type of training, it results in high calorie expenditure.
Bear the load
Weight-bearing activities, such as walking and running, use more calories than those in which your weight is supported, like swimming and cycling, because you have to support your own body weight.
To optimise your calorie burn in the gym, swap the cycle and rower for the treadmill or stepper.
Forget the gym
Believe it or not, your 30-60mins sessions in the gym might not be the most important ingredient in your fat burning endeavours. Recent research has coined the term non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) referring to standing, moving, and even fidgeting during everyday tasks.
Scientists have found that this can add up to as much as 350 calories per day, the equivalent of a moderate intensity 60mins studio class.
So resist the phone and email at work, go talk to people face to face. Enjoy standing in queues and even on TV nights regularly get off the sofa and move around a bit!
Want to burn fat and keep the weight off for good? Read on…
Running on empty
Exercising in the morning, on an empty stomach, is a great way to shed fat.
Research shows that fasting (which is essentially what happens overnight as we sleep) leads to increased adrenalin and reduced insulin levels, creating an environment that is more conductive to the breakdown of fat for energy.
Heart attack
Alternating your exercises between upper and lower body results in an extra calorie burn because your cardiovascular system has to work harder.
Peripheral Heart Action training, as this is known, challenges the heart to keep pushing blood from one extreme to the other, in order to deliver oxygen to fuel the muscles.
A routine like this also allows you to move straight from one exercise to the next, as muscle groups get a chance to rest, so you can get your workout done quicker.
Don’t get isolated
Compound exercises require several muscle groups to work together in harmony, as opposed to moves that specifically target one muscle.
The beauty of these exercises is that they are more demanding and so will tone your muscles but at the same time burn more calories.
It’s time to ditch the diet! Here are some super-easy tips and tricks to help you reach your ideal weight and stay there for life.
Refuelling hazard
The more you exercise, the hungrier you get and so you might eat more or believe you ‘deserve’ to eat more after a good workout. In some cases you might just want to eat more as a reward for having survived the session.
It’s important to eat according to our whole day’s activity level, not just according to how hard you’ve exercised in the gym, particularly if you have a sedentary job.
Turn on the afterburners
Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) is the term given to the body’s attempts to recharge and restore itself immediately after a workout, a process that results in additional calorie burn.
Research has shown that high-intensity interval training leads to greater EPOC than steady cardio workouts, so turn up the dial with alternate bouts of maximum effort and rest for serious results. Try the Tabata format – eight periods of 20 secs full-out work followed by 10 secs recovery.
Muscle up to slim down
Lifting heavier weights for fewer reps will promote muscle growth, but don’t worry, you won’t end up getting manly muscles, because women lack the necessary testosterone to get bulky.
The important thing to know, here, is that a kilogram of extra lean tissue will burn an additional 100 calories in 24 hours.
If you consider that a resistance training programme can reasonably be expected to add 3kg of muscle mass to your body, this equates to using up an extra 300 calories a day, just by doing your everyday activities. This adds up to a whopping 14kg of fat loss over a year!
Running is a simple way to burn calories and enhance your mood in minutes. It’s easy to reap the benefits of a running routine and you don’t have to be a hardcore marathon runner to start pounding the pavements. Here are some tips on how to improve your running workout and ensure you get the best results.
To the gym
Weight training could make you a better runner. A Norwegian study found that resistance training three times a week for eight weeks significantly improved running efficiency and endurance in well-trained, long-distance runners.
Uphill battle
Want to conquer the hills? To race uphill, run with a short stride while pushing off the balls of your feet and pumping your arms. Then relax your arms and use a longer stride to go downhill.
Ready, set, splash!
Getting wet could make you a better runner. Swimming increases your upper body strength, making your runs more efficient, while aqua jogging mimics your usual movement sans impact – reducing the risk of injury.
Bright idea
Watch your stance when running. Leaping forward and striding too far will drain your energy fast. Instead, make sure you stand tall and lean slightly forward, so when you feel like you’re going to fall, you step forward just enough to catch yourself. This should be the length of your stride.
Take five
Listen to your body! If you’re feeling under the weather or if your body is sore and ready for a rest, take a recovery day. Only you know if those aches and pains are from a good run or the sign you need to rest.
Drink up
Hydration is key for runners, but plain old water is best if you’re only doing short runs. Upgrade to a sports drink if you’re running for longer than an hour to help shuttle glucose to your muscles and combat fatigue.
Have a glass of water.
Staying hydrated is one of the easiest things you can do for energy. When you skimp on water, the cells in your body shrink, so they can’t function as efficiently. This triggers feelings of fatigue.
Talk fast.
Ever notice that energetic people tend to zip through their words? Fast talk means fast thinking, which automatically boosts your energy. Speed-talk your way through your next friendly chat, and feel that breathless rush give you a boost.
Practice self-forgiveness.
No more “I’m worthless because I’m overweight” or “I’m lazy for skipping my workout” thoughts. The feeling of guilt keeps you stuck in a low-energy rut.
A recent study found that daily consumption of roughly 40g (one and a half ounces) of dark chocolate reduced the stress hormone cortisol.
Researchers suspect that certain compounds in chocolate, like caffeine and theobromine, may be responsible.
And, as if you even need another reason to indulge, a study has found that adults who ate moderate amounts of chocolate regularly were actually thinner than those who didn’t, even though they consumed more calories and exercised the same amount.
Look for chocolate that contains at least 70 percent cocoa – the darker, the better – and enjoy!