In order to stay fit, you need to burn more calories than you take in.  Exercise helps you do that in two different ways.  First, by moving it makes the muscles work harder, and for the energy they need they cook calories.  Second, exercise builds muscle tissue which raises your body’s overall metabolism.

If you consider these two factors, any exercise that gets your body moving and muscles growing will help you burn calories.  Most doctors recommend that you get 30 to 60 minutes of exercise per day for the best results.  Here are the major types that work exceptionally well at it.

Running

According to the Mayo Clinic, running is the best exercise for burning the most calories.  You can burn nearly 1,000 in an hour of running, and if you add sprints and hills to your routine, you can cook even more.

Cardio Workout

There is a lot of misinformation out there about exactly what cardio means, but basically it is any activity that gets your blood pumping, your breath hard and your sweat glands pouring.  The whole point is to be active.  If you’re active, you’ll be burning more calories, and when you feel the strain on your body, that means you’re getting somewhere.

Weight Training

Building muscle through weight training is also a great long-term strategy for burning calories.  High intensity cardio will get them coming off quickly, but building muscle actually helps to speed up your metabolism, and then you’ll be burning more calories all the time.  Even when you’re going about your day, you’ll be staying slimmer because a better metabolic rate means that your body can more effectively use what you take in.

Interval Training

Any kind of interval training is great for burning calories.  Interval training is where you do short bursts of intense workout followed by periods of rest.  The idea is to mix up as many different exercises into your routine as possible in order to work out a variety of muscle groups.  This keeps you from plateauing or fatiguing any one particular group.  The changes in the frequency of intensity help your muscles to get more out of your workout.  Besides all of the benefits, it’s a lot more interesting than doing the same thing continuously.

Finally, your eating habits and lifestyle will have a huge influence on your metabolic rate. (Estimate your resting metabolic rate here.)  Stay active and make sure you get plenty of physical motion.  Eat light meals and snack in between with something healthy.  Have a light dinner and don’t eat too close to bedtime.  Some foods actually help you burn calories like leafy green vegetables.  Calorie burning should be something you do always and not just when you’re exercising.

Filed under: Fitness Articles

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!