To increase your calorie burn without working out longer try adding intensity; work out harder, not longer.  Below are some easy ways to get a bigger burn for your exercise buck and you might even shorten your exercise time!

1. pump your arms – You can burn 15% more calories by swinging your arms front to back as you walk, run, use the elliptical.  Don’t pump them side to side or across your body.

2. add plyometrics –  Add periods of jumping, skipping, hopping to your workout.  You can double the calorie burn, especially belly fat.

3. add hills or incline – You can burn 3 times as many calories moving uphill.  Stay upright and avoid leaning into the hill/bending at the hips.

4. interval bursts – Alternate vigorous spurts with lower intensity periods to catch your breath.

5. walk/run outside – You can burn 10% more calories by moving outside.  Propelling yourself forward burns more than going the same speed on a treadmill.

6. move for 12 minutes – All movement burns calories, but after 12 minutes you enter the training effect where you increase your fat burning enzymes and improve your oxygen use.

7. move to upbeat music – People exercise 20% longer to fast paced music they like.  Plus you synchronize your pace to the faster beat.

8. up the overall intensity – There is a difference between strolling to the mailbox and power walking.  You should get “huffy puffy” if you are exercising to burn calories.

9. drink chilled water – Exercisers worked out longer and perceived their workout as easier when they drank chilled water (as opposed to warm water).  Plus it burns a few calories to warm the water up internally.

10. use heavy weights – You can burn more calories with fewer reps by lifting heavier weights and it sustains your metabolic rate longer post workout.  20 pounds lifted 5 time burns more calories than lifting 10 pounds 10 times.

11. circuit training – Eliminate, or shorten, your rest between sets by lifting 1 set then moving right to a different set.  Instead of biceps – rest – biceps  try biceps – squats – triceps – lunges-biceps – squats – triceps – lunges.  This turns your lifting into a cardio session and burns twice as many calories after your workout as lifting with rests.

12. yoga – Practicing yoga can decrease binge eating by up to 50%.

So without exercising all day, which idea might work best for you to burn some extra calories?

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