Burn More Calories in Less Time

Exercising is a huge part of my everyday life—and you can make it an easy part of your day too.

By Kevin Valluzzi

Every form of cardiovascular exercise will burn calories, but did you know that you can burn even more calories by using a cardio workout called interval training? Plus--if you are walking for 60 minutes a day--you can get an even better workout in just 30 minutes!

The general public has been told that there is a fat-burning zone (workouts that are long and slow), and in order to lose weight you need to train in that zone. That is simply not true! Instead, go faster for intermittent bouts during your cardio workout, and make interval training the secret to your success.

Interval training is a method in which you increase the speed at which you are walking, running, biking, etc. for brief periods during your usual steady pace. The interval speed should be a speed that you can't normally sustain for a long period of time. The interval should last roughly between 30 seconds and two minutes.

Putting it to use is easy. If you walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes at a speed of 3.5 mph, you would just increase your speed to 4.0 mph at the five-minute mark and keep it there until you reach the six-minute mark. Once you hit the six-minute mark, you bring the speed back down to 3.5 mph. You should continue to do this every fifth minute. After a few weeks, try doing the intervals at every four minutes, then every three minutes, etc.

The pattern would be as follows:

Start to fifth minute = 3.5

Fifth minute to sixth minute = 4.0

Sixth minute to tenth minute = 3.5

Tenth minute to eleventh minute = 4.0

Eleventh minute to fifteenth minute = 3.5

Fifteenth minute to sixteenth minute = 4.0

Sixteenth minute to twentieth minute = 3.5

Twentieth minute to twenty-first minute = 4.0

Twenty-first minute to twenty-fifth minute = 3.5

Twenty-fifth minute to twenty-sixth minute = 4.0

Twenty-sixth minute to thirtieth minute = 3.5

As you get better at this your intervals will start to get faster and faster and you will soon be going at speeds you never dreamed possible. The best part about this is you need not increase the duration of your workout, just increase the intensity! What a time-saver!

                        Oh yeah, one more thing--wait until you see the results!