5 Fat Burners To Help You Slim Down

 

It is definitely possible to speed up your metabolism, that
aspect of your body that burns calories. As you age, your
metabolism slows down, chiefly because you lose around a
half pound of muscle each year. "If you don't use the
muscle, it atrophies," explains Pamela Peeke, M.D.,
professor of medicine at the University of Maryland and
author of Fight Fat After Forty.

Here are 5 fat burners to help you slim down.

1. Avoid alcohol

Want to keep your favorite meals from going straight to
your hips (thighs, belly)? Wash them down with water, not
wine. Alcohol slows your metabolism by depressing the
central nervous system. A British study found that when
alcohol was added to a high-fat, high-calorie meal, less
dietary fat was burned off and more was stored as body fat.

2. Rev up your workouts

Interval training -- in which you add bursts of
high-intensity moves into your workout -- is a surefire
metabolism booster, says Glenn Gaesser, Ph.D., director of
the Kinesiology Program at the University of Virginia and
author of The Spark. Researchers at Laval University in
Quebec found that high-intensity interval training burns
more fat than regular, consistent aerobic exercise. If you
usually jog at a 10-minute-mile pace, for example, add a
30-second sprint every five minutes. Or add a one-minute
incline to your treadmill workout every five minutes. "Even
if you just have 10 minutes for a quick workout, you can
walk at a normal pace and then add in a 30-second bout of
speed-walking every three minutes," recommends Gaesser.

3. Do more dairy

Women who ate low-fat dairy products, such as nonfat yogurt
and low-fat cheese, three to four times a day lost 70
percent more fat than low-dairy dieters, according to a
study published in the journal Obesity Research. "Calcium
serves as a switch that tells your body to burn excess fat
faster," explains study author Michael Zemel, M.D.,
director of the Nutrition Institute at the University of
Tennessee in Knoxville. Sorry, but you won't reap the same
benefits from calcium-fortified O.J. Research shows that
you get the best results from dairy products themselves,
not fortified foods. Aim for 1,200 mg, which includes about
three servings of dairy a day.

4. Take up a new sport

Are you like Old Faithful when it comes to your morning
walk or evening jog? Know this: The more you do an
activity, the more your body adapts to it, so you burn
fewer calories. If you want to light a fire under your
metabolism, consider cross-training. For example, if you
normally walk, try biking instead. "Since you're not used
to working all those different muscles, it's a more intense
workout, which can translate into a greater metabolic
after-burn because your body is working harder to recover
and get oxygen to all your tissues," says Carol Espel,
M.S., an exercise physiologist for Equinox Fitness Clubs in
New York City.

5. Go fish

Break out the lemon wedges: Regular fish eaters tend to
have lower levels of the hormone leptin -- good because
high levels of leptin have been linked to low metabolism
and obesity, says Louis Aronne, M.D., an obesity specialist
at the New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center.
Try to consume three to four servings of a fatty fish, such
as salmon, tuna or mackerel, each week.


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Article by Scott T. Smith of Copywriting.Net. If you are
sick and tired of being overweight, and are ready for
weight loss solutions that really work, visit Slimstuff on
the Web at http://www.slimstuff.com/