Everyone knows that ingesting too many calories is bad. When you take in more calories than you can burn in a day, the extra calories don't vanish. The body is a very efficient machine, and that means that the body will store those calories in the form of fat. They keep the calories in storage in case they need to use them. Of course, most people aren't going to get enough daily activity to burn off those calories.
Knowing that you have those excess calories stored in the body as fat is enough to send most people scrambling to the gym. Burning calories fast and efficiently is possible, but you need to know what you are doing, and you need to do it safely.
Time at the Gym
You might think that the best way to burn off all of those calories is with a rigorous session on the elliptical trainer. While the elliptical and other cardio machines should certainly be a part of your training routine, you shouldn't stop there. Something that many people don't realize is that muscle is one of the best ways to burn calories. The more muscle you have the more calories your body is going to burn. This is because maintaining the muscle costs more calories that the body is going to take from storage. When at the gym, it is prudent to start hitting the weights too.
Foods to Burn Calories
Certain types of foods can do a good job of boosting the metabolism and burning calories. Green tea is a great choice for a drink, but you need to make sure that you don't add any sweeteners to it, as that would cancel out the calorie burning effectiveness that you are trying to achieve. You will also be able to add some spice to your foods to burn calories faster. Hot peppers contain capsaicin, which helps to speed up the metabolism.
Mini Workouts at Home and Work
You might not be able to spare time in the middle of the day to head to the gym and have a full workout. Most people can't. However, it is possible to have some mini workouts through the day. Go on a walk during lunch breaks and take the stairs rather than the elevator. Park the car at the far end of the parking lot. Those who are at home can take the dog for a walk or walk to the grocery store. All of the extra steps a person takes per day will help them to burn more calories. Determine how many steps you take with the use of a pedometer. Strive to add a few more steps each day.
Eat Less
The body only needs to have a certain amount of calories to function each day. If you know your base caloric need, you can reduce the number of calories that you eat each day. This will make the other efforts to burn calories go further, and you will find that the weight comes off faster.
