Although all foods contain calories, some foods take so much energy to digest that your body actually burns up the calories from them in the process of consuming them.  These are known as Zero Calorie Foods. Still other amazing foods take so much energy to digest that you actually lose weight by eating them.  These are known as Negative Calorie Foods. So, "negative-calorie food" is a bit of a misnomer in that all foods contain calories.  Instead, it just means that you expend more calories eating these foods than the calories they deliver to your body. Even further, exercise helps us burn more calories. Here are 8 ways to burn more calories. 

1. Do cardio first: We just explore the idea of doing strength training before cardio. One trainer simplified it like this as a rule of thumb. Remember this rule of thumb: Strength training changes your shape. Cardio changes your size. If you want to increase your calorie burn rate, cardio will do it. 

2. Try plyometrics: For experienced exercisers looking to increase their calorie burn, this might help. Plyometrics are high-intensity, explosive exercises such as jumping, hopping, jump rope, jumping jacks that spike your heart rate up quickly. What this does is create a higher rate of calories burned. These fast athletic movements also target fast-twitch muscles, coordination and agility. This means you're training your body in a new and challenging way.

3. Increase your workout intensity: Increase your workout intensity to burn more calories. Increase the incline on the treadmill and also resistance on a machine at the gym. Or if you run/walk outside, choose a path that has hills. In a study published in the Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports Medicine in 2002, researchers found that intense exercise resulted in the greatest fat burn (compared to light intensity exercise and no exercise at all) during the hours following a workout—and that fat burn continued for 11 hours.

5. Workout playlist helps: Listening to fast music helps to mentally pump you up to perform more intense workouts. 

6. Correct form goes a long way: When you're lifting free weights or performing exercises on machines, it's important to pay attention to your form. Don't use the handlebars and lean forward too much. Proper form ensures you'll burn more calories. 

7. Focus: Any workout requires intense focus. The mind-body connection and fitness matters more than we think. Cardio benefits from a strong sense of awareness even though it would seem yoga and pilates are the ones that would benefit the most. 

8. Don't overwork your body: There's a fine line between upping the intensity and overworking your body. This might sound counter-intuitive but be sure to understand who affects the rest of the day. You don't want to feel exhausted the rest of the day if you do an hour and half at the gym at 6am. Finding a balance will help keep these habits for life.