Vigorous Workouts: Burn, Baby, Burn

So, you’re feeling pretty good today because you worked out last night. It would have been so easy to stay home and lounge on the sofa than head to the gym and spend 45 minutes on the treadmill.

But let me ask you this: How hard did you work out?

Did you run as long as you normally do? Or did you get a little tired and decide to walk the last 20 minutes?

Intensity has always been important because it affects your heart rate and how many calories you burn. You probably already know this.

But did you know that vigorous exercise can help you burn additional calories up to 14 hours after your workout?

According to researchers from Appalachian State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 45 minutes of vigorous exercise can burn an additional 190 calories.

They came to this conclusion after measuring the energy expenditure of 10 healthy men in a metabolic chamber. At one point in the study, the men cycled vigorously for 45 minutes.

“We found that 45 minutes of vigorous exercise caused 190 additional calories to be burned later in the day while the participant was at rest,” said David Nieman, lead study investigator, in a news release from the American College of Sports Medicine.

That’s a substantial number of calories for those of us trying to lose pounds or maintain a healthy weight.

Here’s the catch: only you can control your workout’s intensity. It doesn’t matter whether you hire a personal trainer or take an advanced kickboxing class. If you want to exercise vigorously, you have to make that choice.

And, apparently, it’s worth it.

Alice Warchol is a freelance health writer and fitness instructor.

Sources: American College of Sports Medicine news release, September 2011 issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise_®, ACSM’s official scientific journal.