Ways to Burn Fat Faster

Wouldn't it be nice if you could eat whatever you wanted, blow off
working out and still fit in your skinny jeans? While that's unlikely,
it is possible to speed up your metabolism, that little engine in 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.
That translates into burning about 400 fewer calories each day, which
could mean gaining a pound a week. But there's plenty you can do to rev
your fat-burning furnace back up again, says Peeke. Here's the skinny:

Stock up on green tea
Green tea isn't known only for its cancer-fighting benefits: It may
help boost your metabolism, too. People who took green-tea extract three
times a day saw their metabolic rate increase by about 4 percent,
according to a study published in the December 1999 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
(Translation: You could burn an extra 60 calories a day, which equals
about six pounds a year!) It may be because green tea contains
catechins, which increase levels of the metabolism-speeding brain
chemical norepinephrine, says Joy Bauer, a New York City nutritionist
and author of Cooking with Joy.

Pump iron

Weight training is the ultimate way to burn calories fast. "A pound of
muscle burns up to nine times the calories of a pound of fat," explains
Richard Cotton, M.A., chief exercise physiologist for myexerciseplan.com.
Weight training increases your resting metabolic rate, which is the
number of calories you burn while sitting on your butt. What's more, it
gives your metabolism an added boost after you exercise: It remains in
overdrive for up to two hours after the last bench press, according to a
study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.
Strapped for time? Try these quick moves: squats, bench step-ups,
lunges, push-ups, pull-ups and crunches. In a pinch, just do single sets
of 10 for each exercise -- you'll get optimal results for the time
invested.

Eat iron
Yeah, we just told you to pump
iron, but you also need to eat it. "If you don't have enough of this
mineral, your body can't get enough oxygen to your cells, which slows
down your metabolism," explains Samantha Heller, R.D., a nutritionist at
the New York University Medical Center. Most multivitamins contain
around 18 mg (the RDA for adults); you can also get your fill by eating
three to four daily servings of foods rich in iron, such as lean red
meat, chicken, fortified cereal and soy nuts. If you are feeling
symptoms such as fatigue and weakness, ask your doctor to test you for
anemia (it's a simple blood test) at your next physical.

Read more: How to Burn Fat - 21 Ways to Burn Fat Faster - Redbook