Speed Up, Slow Down

Health.com: Fastest Fat Burners Ever!

Alternating bouts of high-intensity and low-intensity cardio has been shown to torch pounds.

Put On Weight (Literally)
Wearing a weighted vest (about 10 percent of your body weight) while walking can boost your calorie burn by 8 percent.

Download Rihanna, Not Brahms
Listening to up-tempo songs actually makes you run faster and harder than listening to slower-paced music, British scientists say.

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Fastest Fat Burn...

Erase extra flab with these super-effective tricks.

By: Kate Ashford

Catch the running bug
You'll continue to burn fat after your jog: People who run for at least four hours a week melt more calories than non-runners, even when they're not running, a

Yale University School of Medicine study reports.

Crank It Up Early
Working out harder during the first half of your workout and taking it easier during the second burns up to 23 percent more fat than doing the opposite, according to a study from The College of New Jersey.

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The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

Go Hard and Make...

Staying at 80 percent of your max heart rate for 40 minutes can amp your metabolism for 19 hours afterward, research published in “Obesity” notes. And doing a shorter workout at 75 percent of your max aerobic capacity will give you a greater metabolic boost than sweating longer at 50 percent, a Colorado State University reveals.

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The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

Lift Dumbbells… ...

More muscle equals mega metabolism boost. Strength training can help you trim major fat, research reveals—and doing super-slow (versus normal speed) reps increases strength by 50 percent. Plus, using dumbbells activates more muscle fibers than using machines, explains Gregory Haff, PhD, an associate professor in the exercise physiology department at

West Virginia University.

(Photo Credit: Corbis)

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

Speed Up, Slow D...

Alternating bouts of high-intensity and low-intensity cardio has been shown to torch pounds.

Put On Weight (Literally)
Wearing a weighted vest (about 10 percent of your body weight) while walking can boost your calorie burn by 8 percent.

Download Rihanna, Not Brahms
Listening to up-tempo songs actually makes you run faster and harder than listening to slower-paced music, British scientists say.

(Photo Credit: Corbis)

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

Let Kettlebells ...

Not only does working out with kettlebells build muscle, but doing it for 20 minutes burns as many calories as running at a 6-minute-mile pace for the same amount of time.

Keep It Up
As few as 80 minutes a week of aerobic or weight training helps keep you from

regaining belly fat after losing weight, according to researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

(Photo Credit: Health.com)

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

Add Poles

Use Nordic poles while you walk, and you'll burn 20 percent more calories, says research from The Cooper Institute in Dallas.

Lift First, Nix the Rest
Doing strength training before cardio can torch more fat than cardio alone. And if you do one move after another without

pausing, "you'll see more gains in strength and muscle mass," says Pierre Manfroy, MD, consultant for the book “100 Ways to Supercharge Your Metabolism.”

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The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

Add Pounds

Lift heavier weights for fewer reps to make your workout more intense—and burn more fat—Dr. Manfroy says.

Try Aromatherapy
Exercisers who inhaled strawberry and buttered-popcorn scents torched more calories than those who sniffed neutral odors, according to research from the

Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago.

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The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

Box Yourself In

Wii boxing knocks out nearly twice as many calories as some other games, like Wii golf.

Kick It
Playing soccer not only torches more fat and builds more muscle than jogging, but it feels less tiring, Danish research reveals.

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Stay in Shape

Fit people have more fat-burning metabolites in their blood than couch potatoes do, scientists say.

Don't Forget Your iPod
Women who walked while listening to tunes dropped two times more weight than women who didn't, one study found.

(Photo Credit: Joseph Montezinos)

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In the Kitchen

Get More Protein
Eating a protein-packed breakfast and lunch helps you burn more post-meal fat than if you eat lower-protein meals, according to Australian research.

Guzzle Green Tea—or Coffee
Downing five 5-ounce cups of green tea a day boosts metabolism, says

Lyssie Lakatos, RD, author of “Fire Up Your Metabolism." Two cups of coffee will also do the trick, one study shows.

(Photo Credit: Istockphoto)

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

Have an Omelet

Eating two eggs for breakfast while dieting will help you trim more weight and body fat than if you ate the same amount of calories noshing on a bagel, scientists say.

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The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

Stay Above 1,200...

"The average person's body goes into starvation mode if she eats fewer than 1,200 calories a day," says Eric Berg, author of “The 7 Principles of Fat Burning.” "That's stress, and stress creates more belly fat."

And Cut Calories Gradually
If you diet, don't trim more than 250 calories a day. Cutting calories too quickly

slows your metabolism down, Dr. Manfroy says.

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The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

Munch On These

Almonds, cherries, yogurt, grapefruit, whole grains, and spicy foods have all been shown to torch fat.

Fuel Up Right
Eating a low-glycemic-index breakfast (such as muesli and peaches) will help you burn more fat during a subsequent workout than eating a high-glycemic-index meal (like waffles), researchers from the University of Nottingham reveal.

(Photo Credit: Joseph Montezinos)

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

Think Before You...

Sipping as few as 90 calories' worth of vodka can slow your metabolism by 73 percent, one study shows.

Graze
Women who go without eating for long periods are more likely to have higher body-fat percentages than women who nosh more regularly, one study notes.

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The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

Dine Like a Gree...

Eating a diet rich in monounsaturated fat (think olive oil, avocados) can help trim both weight and fat, research published in the “British Journal of Nutrition” shows.

Stop Gorging
Your body can only handle so much food at a time, so stick to 600 calories or less per meal to maximize fat-burning, says Leslie Cooper, co-author of “Flip the Switch: Proven Strategies to Fuel Your Metabolism and Burn Fat 24 Hours a Day.”

(Photo Credit: Istockphoto)

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

Skip Juice

Reaching for an apple instead of apple juice is not only better calorie-wise, but it'll also do a better job of boosting your metabolism, Dr. Manfroy explains.

Got Milk?
People who drank skim milk after lifting weights lost almost twice as much fat as those who downed other "healthy"

beverages.

Get C and D
Vitamin C can help you burn more fat, and D may help you lose fat, research notes. Aim for 400 to 500 mg of C and 800 IU of D a day.

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The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

Walk More (In De...

Researchers found that fitness-friendly offices (think treadmill desks, mobile headsets) helped people trim pounds and fat, as did wearing jeans to work, since dressing casual encourages you to move more. Wear comfy clothes when you can, pace while on the phone, and stand while chatting with co-workers.

(Photo Credit: Joseph Montezinos)

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

Add Fish Oil (An...

Taking 6 g of fish oil per day and hitting the gym three times a week can help nix body fat, an Australian study reveals.

Work the Day Shift
Keeping nontraditional hours lowers levels of hormones that trigger satiety, increases blood glucose and insulin levels, and raises levels of the stress hormone

cortisol (which can drive you to eat more), scientists say.

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The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

Nix the Boob Tub...

Cut your TV time in half, and you'll burn more calories each day, research from the University of Vermont suggests.

Go Mental
People who visualized themselves training a specific muscle boosted the strength in that muscle group, researchers found.

Eat a Smaller Dinner
Your body may not digest food—and burn fat—as efficiently if you down a huge meal right before bedtime, especially because your metabolism is slower while you sleep, Dr. Manfroy says.

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The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.

Jump-Start Your ...

Wake up your metabolism—and get fat-burning started—by doing some sort of exercise within the first few hours of being awake, Cooper suggests.

Get Your Snooze On
Sleep for a solid 8 1/2 hours instead of 5 1/2, according to research published in the “Annals of Internal Medicine,” and you'll lose more fat. Sweet dreams!