Interval training

If you’re doing lots of cardio (i.e. walking or running) without the results you’re looking for, experts say interval training—or alternating between short bursts of intense effort and periods of lower intensity or rest—may help. Why? Because muscles are metabolically active, they burn calories even when you’re not exercising.

Working out in intervals is one way to reap the benefits of cardio and strength while maximizing your calorie burn in a short amount of time. The intensity resets your metabolism to a higher rate during your workout, so it takes hours for your body to cool down again. This is what’s known as EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption). That means you burn calories long after you’ve finished your workout compared to doing a workout at a continuous moderate pace (a.k.a. LISS), according to a 2017 study from the European Journal of Applied Physiology.

“Intervals are a great way to promote weight loss beyond just the EPOC effect. A lot of weight loss comes from the mental side of the spectrum too,” says Ryan. “Intervals offer a great way to harness individual victories after each rep or round of exercise—and not simply looking at the workout as a whole.”

TRY it: If you’re working out in intervals, do your chosen exercise for 30 seconds every minute and rest for the remaining 30 seconds. As you progress, you can increase your time to 45 seconds of activity and 15 seconds of rest. Remember, you want to be working at your maximum—leaving you out of breath by the end of that interval.

Calories burned: 272 (for a 150-lb person, working out f0r 30 minutes)