
If the last time you held a jump rope was in grade school, it’s time to get back into the swing of things. “There is definitely something to be said about getting comfortable being uncomfortable on your runs, so skip the road and head to a track or soccer field for some sprints next time,” he says. This conditions your body to get used to this kind of stress. He also notes that running slow is relatively easy on your body as far as exertion is perceived, but running fast at 80% of your capability is even harder, pushing your body even more to its limits. “Sprinting helps engage the core and offers shorter durations of runs at higher intensities,” adds Chris Ryan, one of MIRROR’s founding trainers. Whether it’s slow and steady, comfortable and hard, or intervals, variety is the key to constant adaptation.”

Vary the speed within a workout, do some bursts of faster running, but also mix up the types of runs you do. “If you’re doing the same workout week after week, your body won’t have anything to adapt to. “The best way to burn calories while running is to vary your workouts,” says Natalie Dorset, a running coach in New York. Run in fartleks, which means speed play in Swedish, where you pick up the pace every other street lamp or water hydrant you hit, and then slow down after you pass the next one. Running in intervals-speeding up and slowing down your pace-will help make the minutes and miles go by quickly. Just lace up your shoes and hit the road. Whether you love or hate it, running is one of the best and simplest ways to burn calories-and you don’t need a treadmill to do it.
