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Get the Most Out of the Gym: How to Lose Weight and Burn More Calories
With packed schedules and busy family lives (especially with the holiday season fast approaching), it’s a wonder we even make it to the gym at all! That’s why when you’re there, it’s important you make the most out of your workout, so that you’re burning the maximum amount of calories you can in the short amount of time you have. These fitness and health tips will help you maximize your diet and exercise routine so that you can take full advantage of your workout, boost your metabolism and help you to lose weight. Because, let’s be honest, who really has the time to spend hours in a gym? So follow these 12 healthy ways to help you learn how to burn more calories while working out – and maximize your burn!
1. Have a glass (or two) of cold water
Surprisingly, a cup or two of cold water can boost your metabolism by as much as 5% since your body needs to work to warm up the fluid. What’s more, sipping cold water both before and after you exercise can also help keep your body temperature down and your energy up to maximize your calorie burn.
MORE WEIGHT LOSS TIPS: The Best 20 Minute Fat Burning Workout to Rev Up Your Metabolism
2. Crank up that playlist!
Put those headphones in, start your favorite playlist and crank up that music! Listening to music can help you get more out of your workout, pumping you up and resulting in an increase in your calorie burn. Music can also help to block fatigue, increase stamina and help you keep pace by coordinating your movements.
3. Workout with a partner
Finding someone to work out with you who is slightly better than you can help bring out the best in your own strength and stamina. Knowing the person you’re working out with is stronger than you can motivate you to work harder and with more intensity than working out alone. In fact, you'll burn, on average, 41 more calories per session exercising with your plus one than you would solo, says a UK study.
4. Don’t hold on!
It might seem obvious but it’s true – the more muscles you move, the more calories you burn. That means you have to let go of the handlebars on the treadmill, elliptical and stair machine when you’re using them. Try not to lean over on the elliptical or stair machine either – by doing so you’re giving your core muscles and lower body a break. To maximize your calorie burn you want to use as many muscles as you can, so make sure you stand tall when you’re on the cardio machines.
5. Swing those arms
Whether you’re walking outside or running on the treadmill or elliptical machine, make sure you’re always pumping those arms. Keep your arms bent at a 90 degree angle and pump as you stride. It not only speeds up your pace, but also helps you burn up to 15% more calories every time you work out.
6. Stay supported with a high impact sports bra for big busts
You might be one of the countless women out there who are wearing the wrong size or type of sports bra to work out. It’s a common mistake but one that can cause irreparable damage to your breasts. Wearing the wrong size or type of bra can lead to neck and back pain, breast pain and damage to the ligaments inside your breast, ultimately resulting in sagging breasts and stretch marks. If you’re one of these women, now’s the time to invest in a proper sports bra that fits you perfectly. That’s where Shefit's high impact sports bra for small tatas to large breasts comes in.
This amazing sports bra is designed with patented adjustability to give you the optimal fit that supports you from all angles. The multi-way straps allow you to configure the bra in two different ways: across your back (x-back) or in a traditional over-the-shoulder strap configuration (h-back). This two way wear flexibility ensures that you’re not only comfortable but fully supported at the same time. It also means you can perform your best in any exercise you choose to do, making you unstoppable!
7. Take it outside
Instead of spending your time exercising indoors on a treadmill, take your walks and runs outside. Running or walking outside can burn up to 10% more calories than doing the same thing indoors at the same speed. The reason being? You use more energy to propel yourself over the ground and work harder against the wind and other elements.
MORE WORKOUT TIPS: 10 Running Tips for Beginners to Lose Weight
8. Crank up the incline
If you have to stay indoors for your run, challenge yourself on the treadmill by cranking up the incline. Increasing the incline will help to tone your butt muscles and increase your calorie burn by as much as 60%. Try to avoid leaning when you’re running and keep an upright posture – with shoulders above your hips and hips over your ankles.
9. Stretch those muscles!
To keep your muscles flexible, make sure you stretch before and after every workout. This will help prepare your muscles for exercise and help them recover afterward. If you skip your pre-workout stretch, your muscles won’t be nearly as ready for the aerobic exercise or resistance training. Therefore you won’t be able to reap all the benefits that you should from your workout.
10. Enjoy an all-natural pre-workout energy drink
Beets – those ruby red vegetables once used only to liven up your salad – are also incredibly good for you. And they can be great pre-workout fuel too! Fitness aficionados around the country are using beetroot juice as a drink before their workout to increase energy and boost performance. They contain an abundant mix of nitrates, anti-oxidants and have both anti-inflammatory and detox properties.
MORE WEIGHT LOSS TIPS: Beets for Pre-Workout Fuel: 3 All-Natural Homemade Drink Recipes
11. Pump some iron
No matter what rumor you’ve heard, lifting weights does not equal big, man-muscles. Women tend to avoid weights and weight machines for fear that they’ll bulk up, but it’s simply not true. Working your entire body from head to toe will turbo-charge your calorie-blasting quotient. Not only that, adding five pounds of muscle to your body can help you burn as many as 600 calories an hour during your workout. So choose weight-lifting routines that target your core, legs, arms, chest and shoulders – the more muscles you can challenge in one routine, the more calories your body will burn.
12. Eat up after your workout!
Make sure you always have a snack after your workout to increase your body’s levels of muscle-repair signaling hormones. Choose a snack that has a good mix of carbs and protein (3:1 ratio), and eat it within an hour of your cool-down – like this delicious strawberry smoothie.
The busy holiday season is fast approaching so burning a few extra calories while you workout is definitely an added bonus. If you’re looking to lose weight after all those holiday parties or pump up your metabolism to prepare for them, these fitness and health tips above will help you maximize your diet and exercise routine. Because honestly, who wants to spend all their spare time in the gym? So if you really want to learn how to burn more calories while working out, follow the 12 tips above. You won’t regret it!
