Along with a healthy diet, exercise is a key ingredient in an effective weight loss program. Any daily movement is good for the body and will support your weight loss efforts. However, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, you may need to exercise 60 to 90 minutes a day for your desired weight reduction. Exercise to lose weight should combine cardiovascular activity for fat burning and strength training for muscle toning.
Long Cardiovascular Training
It is common knowledge that cardiovascular--often called aerobic--training expends a high amount of calories and is an effective fat-burning exercise. Jason Karp, author of "How To Burn Fat Faster and More Efficiently" in the online "Idea Fitness Journal" adds that making your cardio sessions longer teaches your muscles how to use fat more effectively. Over time, this promotes better fat-burning capabilities in your body, allowing for greater fat loss during and after exercise. To achieve these benefits, your cardio session needs to be one and a half to two hours long, at 65 to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate.
Interval Training
Interval training combines cardiovascular exercise with strength training in one workout. One way to do this is with short-burst intervals. Short-burst interval training uses a series of high-intensity, short-duration exercises mixed with lower-intensity movements. The high-intensity exercises require you to go all out, working as hard you can for 30 to 60 seconds. The lower-intensity movements are considered the recovery phase. The article "Short-Burst Training" in the online "Idea Fitness Journal" suggests that this type of workout is more effective than doing cardio and strength training separately, and takes much less time. The intervals in this workout may combine any type of movements that are cardio- and strength-oriented; running, push-ups, jumping jacks and abdominal crunches are some examples.
Walk
Walking is an effective and simple way to lose weight. As a cardiovascular exercise, walking burns fat and is easier on the joints than running or jogging. The article "Walk It Off" in "Fitness Magazine" suggests walking 45 minutes a day to burn a total of 1,300 calories in one week. Walking for 45 minutes consecutively is the goal. If you are crunched on time, just log a total of 45 minutes for the entire day. Carry a pedometer to help you track your mileage and time yourself when walking short distances. There are many ways to grab extra steps throughout your day: Park farther away from the store, take the stairs instead of the elevator or take a brief walk instead of watching TV.
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