Make it Burn!

by Jari Love

 You can do it! I believe in you. To get the most of your workout and burn those calories, you have to increase your intensity. You aren’t getting the results you want because you are stagnant. Here I have some suggestions for increasing the intensity of four common cardio activities:

There are two ways to measure if you are increasing your intensity: using a heart rate monitor and the RPE scale. Most experts now recommend using the RPE scale as it is more accurate for your own personal goals. Heart rate monitors are also useful because they allow you to make sure you are in the proper heart rate zone for your training goals.

Below are the activities I previously suggested with some hard numbers to show you just how much more you can burn when you increase the intensity!

150lb person stepping (heart rate at approx. 120 bpm):

150lb person walking:

- 3 mph = 123 calories in 30 mins
- Increase the speed of the walk to 4 mph = 140 cals in 30 mins
- Walk for longer at 3mph = 246 cals in an hour
- Walk up a hill instead of on flat terrain = 211 cals in 30 mins

150lb person running:

- 6 mph = 352 cals in 30 mins
- Run up a hill = 528 cals in 30 mins
- Cross-country running = 317 cals in 30 mins
- Run faster - at 10 mph = 563 cals in 30 mins

150lb person biking:

- Moderate effort at 12-14 mph = 282 cals in 30 mins
- Bike up a hill (vigorous effort) = 352 cals in 30 mins
- On a stationary bike, set the resistance to a higher level - moderate effort = 247 cals in 30 mins; vigorous effort = 370 cals in 30 mins
- Bike faster - 20 mph = 422 cals in 30 mins

150lb person in a spin class:

- fairly light effort = 160 cals in 30 mins

- somewhat hard effort = 204 cals in 30 mins

- hard effort = 252 cals in 30 mins

150lb person cross country skiing:

- light effort, ski walking at 2.5 mph = 204 cals in 30 mins

- moderate effort at 4.0-4.9 mph = 238 cals in 30 mins

- vigorous effort at 5.0-7.9 mph = 272 cals in 30 mins

I hope these tips have helped you as much as they have helped me to become successful with my workout and my life. Remember your weight on the scale is just a number. Do not always believe the number on the scale when doing a daily weigh in. Try doing it weekly and at the same time, such as in the morning. Use that as a guide for keeping track of your weight. Your main goal is to stay confident and look great without worrying about that tiny number on a scale. You have the power to change you; all you need are the extra steps to get there.