How To REALLY Burn More Calories When You Work Out

A great workout should make you feel happy, refreshed, and rejuvenated. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case.

Even if you love hitting the gym, we all have those days where we’re just too tired and slugglish, or we feel like we’ve hit a workout rut.

Skipping a couple of days here and there isn’t going to completely undo your exercise routine, but a bad workout this week may encourage you to skip another one next week.

Before you get stuck in a rut and throw in the towel, here are some amazing ways to make sure you get the most out of your workout every time:

1. Go Early: Working out in the morning offers a slew of incredible health benefits that you may not know about. Aside from kick-starting your metabolism for the rest of the day, a morning workout will give you a boost of energy that can help you power through the afternoon. According to Jimmy Minardi, founder of Minardi Training, the thermic effects of exercise last for hours after a workout. So, if you exercise in the morning, your body will continue to burn calories for the rest of the day.
2. Try Intervals: Many health and fitness experts swear by interval training—adding short bursts of high-intensity movement to your workout. This is an especially important trick for cardio lovers. For instance, you’ll burn more calories on the elliptical machine if you turn up the resistance and move as fast as you can for one minute every few minutes.
3. Take a Friend: Simply having a workout buddy by your side will encourage you to stay on your game. Just make sure you’re bringing a friend that pushes you to workout harder—not somebody to chat and gossip with. It’s good to take a few minutes to rest between high-intensity sets, but anything beyond a few minutes of talking with your friend will take away from your exercise willpower.
4. Practice Good Posture: The whole point of exercise is to move your muscles, not strain your shoulders and neck. Many of us tend to lean forward on machines, like the elliptical and stair climber, which greatly reduces the effectiveness of every workout. If you catch yourself leaning on the handlebars constantly, it might be time to ease up on the resistance for a bit. Your back, neck, and shoulders will thank you later!
5. Add Weights: Women are especially resistant to the idea of weights, since they have a bad rap for bulking people up. But you won’t be doing your body any favors by running on the treadmill or moving on the elliptical for hours on end. Not only will you eventually feel bored, but adding weight training to your cardio is truly the most effective way to burn calories. Next time you’re at the gym, try swapping 15 minutes of your cardio routine for some weight training. Your body will feel stronger and more toned than ever before!

How do you stay motivated to workout? Tell us in the comments!

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