Now THAT'S fit

There are some fitness maxims you just can't argue with, one of which is that in order to reach your goals, you have to be willing to work for them.

That being said, if you want next summer (or even next winter) to be your fittest yet, prepare to put the time in at the gym. But, the last thing you want to do is waste your effort. Instead, you want to make sure that every pound you lift, every second you run, and every step you take provides you with the maximum return on your fitness investment.

The first way to help ensure max ROI is to incorporate interval training into your workout. Research from Laval University in Canada found that 15 weeks of high-intensity interval training shed nine times more fat than 20 weeks of steady, moderate-intensity exercise.

The second thing you need to do is start hitting the weights. Even if you're a self-proclaimed cardio nut, you'd still do well to pump some iron. A study published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise reveled that metabolic resistance training boosts fat loss by up to 44 percent when multi-joint, compound movements are executed during a workout.

And the third thing you should give fair consideration to is eating five to six small snacks and meals throughout the day, as doing so will help ramp up your metabolism and cause you to burn calories even while at rest.

Preparing this many meals or snacks in advance requires some extra time, as does pushing yourself during a high-intensity interval session or banging out a set of full squats. But, if you're willing to work hard toward your goal of better health and fitness, these three methods will surely get you well on your way to achieving it.