We’re always looking for new ways to improve our lives. We want to work better, find more time to relax, and spend as much quality time with loved ones as possible.
And when it comes to our physical appearance, most of us wouldn’t mind if we were able to trim our waistlines a bit!
If you’ve ever researched ways to lose weight, there are tips you already know by rote — eat mindfully, exercise often, and sleep well. Sure, those are must-have habits to look and feel our best.
But what about when you want to try something new, something that will help you lose those last few pounds pronto?
Well then, we have just what you’re looking for! Here are five ways to burn more fat faster.
Contents
1. Start Your Day With Fasted Cardio
Fasted cardio simply means not eating before your morning exercise routine.
When your body is in a fasted state, your glycogen levels deplete. Glycogen interconnects the glucose molecules our bodies store for energy. They’re created from the carbohydrates we consume.
So when you’re in a fasted state, your body is low on carbohydrate- and glucose-borne glycogen. Since its glycogen stores are down when your body is in a fasted state, exercising makes your body turn to its fat stores, making it burn fat with every move.
Keep in mind that having breakfast, skipping lunch, and then working out is not fasted cardio. You need to have not eaten for 10-14 hours before your workout for the science behind this concept to take effect.
2. Find More Reasons to Move
After a day of work, sprawling out on the couch while watching movies or playing video games is totally fine.
But be sure you get up and move frequently instead of just sinking into the sofa for hours. It helps if you keep challenging your body to burn more fat. And unsurprisingly, lying dormant isn’t the way to do it!
Try doing a set of jumping jacks every 20 minutes. If you have a jump rope, keep it near your sofa, and jump rope for a couple of minutes every 30 minutes or so. You can also lift five-or ten-pound weights and do occasional curls.
It may not seem like you’re doing much at all, but you’re getting your heart pumping, and therefore, burning extra calories and fat.
3. Don’t Dismiss Carbs
Despite frequent attempts by fad diet converts to demonize them, our bodies use carbohydrates as fuel. Carbs are vital for your body’s fat-burning processes.
Carbs not only feed your muscles for your workouts, but they also provide the aforementioned glycogens. If you’re cutting carbs (and fats, but more on that ahead!), your body will use its protein stores to function, which will, in turn, deplete your muscles.
So eat your carbs, but do so wisely! Stick to whole-grain bread and pasta, sweet potatoes over white potatoes. Also, try legumes like lentils and chickpeas to enjoy a diet rich in fat-burning complex carbs.
4. Try Interval Training
Interval training alternates high-intensity workouts over short periods between rest and recovery times.
It utilizes aerobic and anaerobic activity. Switching between the two helps your body burn more calories and fat than typical exercise routines. It’s a real timesaver as well, as you can complete an interval training session in as little as 15-20 minutes a day.
Begin by selecting a cardio activity (running, cycling, elliptical, kickboxing, etc.) Then time your workout.
Beginners should have a schedule that allows them to advance the training gradually. Start with two minutes of intense cardio followed by five minutes of rest, then start over again until you reach your 15-20 minute daily goal.
More advanced interval trainers?
Opt for ten-minute high-intensity cardio activity followed by two minute rests, for a total of 30-60 minute daily workouts.
5. Some Fats Can Be Your Friends
Just like you shouldn’t avoid all carbs in a misguided attempt to burn more fat, so you shouldn’t abstain from all fatty foods.
Skip bad fats, aka those high in saturated fats, like pork, high-fat dairy products, fatty beef, all lamb, poultry with skin, and saturated oils.
Replace these with fat-burning “fatty” foods, such as oily fish, nuts, avocados, eggs, and coconut oil.
So how do these good-fat foods help your body burn fat?
They can kick start the fat burning process by stimulating your metabolism. This helps you stay fuller for longer, which can reduce your overall food consumption.
Conclusion
All these tips work best when tried together. Sure, you can pick and choose which works best for you (and what you feel you’ll be able to stick with for the long haul!) But as with every other aspect of improving our health and wellbeing, playing around with both diet and exercise is essential.
There’s also plenty of evidence that shows switching up a routine can trigger yet more fat burn. Trying a couple of these tips can help you burn fat for a while, but you may find yourself plateauing before losing those love handles completely. Don’t fear — that is entirely natural!
If and when that happens, simply tinker with your diet and exercise routine. How and when depends on you, but every few weeks is a useful benchmark for many.
Feel like you’ve stopped burning fat or reaching new fitness heights?
Try increasing your intervals. Or focus on replacing some aspects of your diet (maybe rotating in new types of good fats and carbs). And always get plenty of sleep and water.
Follow these five ways to burn more fat faster and adapt it to suit you and your changing body, and you’ll be on the path to having a healthy body and mind for life.
[Author bio]
Caitlin Sinclair is the Property Manager at Evolve South Bay with five years of property management experience and many more in Customer Service. She shares her passion for her community and looks forward to making Evolve South Bay the place to call home.
