6 workout mistakes

You huff and puff through cardio sessions,

But that extra layer of flab just won’t budge. Surprise: your workout might be to blame. We talked to trainers and exercise physiologists across the country and discovered six surprising ways that well-intentioned fitness routines can put the brakes on weight loss goals. “Many women assume that 30 minutes of exercise will change their bodies, but it’s not automatic,” says geralyn Cooper smith, the senior national manager of equinox fitness training research in New York City. “if you’re focused and smart about how you use that half hour, you will be amazed by your results.” Here is what to do-and not to do-to rev your metabolism and slim down for good.

Don’t: sacrifice good form for speed

Do: slow down and stand tall

THE RESULTS: burn 50 extra calories per session High-intensity exercise may burn loads of calories, but not if you’re hanging on to the handrails for dear life. It is that means lowering the intensity. “You recruit fewer muscles and burn fewer calories when you’re slouched over,” says cooper smith.

Don’t: exercise while parched

Do: slip 15 ounces of water 2 hours before working out

RESULTS: more energy to lift weights and firm up faster Experts are constantly back and forth on the merits of the 8-glasses-a-day guideline. However, when it comes to working out, the importance of drinking up is clear. "nearly every cell in the body is composed of water-without it, they don't function efficiently during exercise," says Dan Judelson, PhD, an assistant professor of kinesiology at California statte university in Fullerton.

Don’t: read a novel on the treadmill

Do: listen to music

THE RESULTS: burn 15% more calories “If flipping through a magazine keeps you motivated, by all means do it,” says Cooper smith. “But reading while exercising is so distracting that you’re probably working at an intensity too low to burn a significant number of calories.”

Don’t: read a novel on the treadmill

Do: listen to music

THE RESULTS: loss 4 pounds a year no matter how many calories an activity promises to burn, if you don’t enjoy it, you’ll be less likely to do it and won’t reap the benefits. Think of it this way: if you burn 300 calories every time you exercise, but you dread it so much that you skip and session a week, it adds up to 1200 calories a month-or more than 4 pounds a year.

Don’t: put all your time into cardio

Do: swap aerobic exercise for weights 3 times a week

THE RESULTS: lose up to 12.5 pounds in a year over 80% of women forgo strength training, says the latest survey by the sporting goods manufacturers association. If you’re one of them, it may be the number one reason your scale is stuck.

Don’t: Trust gym-machine calorie-burn estimates

Do: Track your burn with a heart rate monitor

THE RESULTS: lose 3 pounds this year oh, how sweet it would be if 20 minutes on a cardio machine really did blast 400 calories. But like most things in life that sound too good to be true, those digital displays broadcasting mega calorie burn are often bogus. recent research presented at the national strength and conditioning conference found that elliptical trainers over- estimated calorie burn by an average of 30%. if you're trying to create a calorie deficit to lose weight, those thought-you-burned-'em calories can add up over time and thwart your success. to ensure you're burning the number of calories you want, consider investing in a heart rate monitor. we love the FT40 by polar because it's a cinch to set up and use ($180:). input some basic info (weight, height, age, activity level, and so on) and the gadget will accurately track your heart rate to computer the number of calories you torched. or, for a free check of your cardio machine's readout, cross-reference your calories burn by logging...