Your body mass index, BMI, is a ratio of your weight related to your height. The medical community uses the BMI as a tool to assess whether you are underweight, a healthy weight, overweight or obese. If your BMI is higher than 25, you are considered medically overweight, and if higher than 30 you are classified as obese. Do not be discouraged by your number, because exercise, when combined with a healthy diet, will help you lower your BMI.
Cardiovascular Exercises
Cardiovascular exercises work your heart, burn calories and cause your body to burn fat. These exercises are good for your health and your weight. Losing weight will lower your BMI, so choose from one of the following cardio exercises and exercise for at least 30 minutes four days a week.
The best cardiovascular exercise for you is one you enjoy. Try walking on a treadmill or in your neighborhood park. Begin a jogging program and set a goal of completing a 5K by a certain date to challenge yourself. Swim at the local YMCA several days a week or ride your bicycle. Any exercise that raises your heart rate will burn calories. The harder you exert yourself, the more calories you will burn and the faster you will lose weight.
Resistance Training
In addition to exercising cardiovascularlly several times a week, you should incorporate a regular schedule of resistance training into your exercise plan. Resistance or strength training uses weights, bands, stability balls and your own body weight to tone and define your muscles. But more than just toning and definition, resistance training increases the percentage of lean muscle mass you have, which helps you to burn calories faster.
When developing a resistance training program, perform exercises that target each of your major muscle groups. For your legs, perform wall squats with or without a stability ball, lunges and step-ups. To target your arms, shoulders and back, use light weights or resistance bands to do bicep curls, tricep extensions, upper arm rows, shoulder presses and raises. Strengthen your abdominal muscles by sitting on a stability ball and doing crunches. Make sure to include oblique and reverse crunches into your abdominal workout.
Circuit Training
Circuit training is when you move quickly and smoothly from one piece of equipment to another, working many different muscle groups in one exercise session. You should combine cardio and strength training exercises in one circuit. You can do circuit training at home, but it is easier in a gym. This type of training has become very popular in the form of boot camps for exercise. It is a time-efficient way to burn a lot of calories.
When you perform a circuit routine, do each exercise for 90 seconds and then move to the next exercise. This will quickly burn calories, fat and lower your BMI as you lose weight. Some sample exercises included in circuit training are squats, lunges, jumping jacks, dips, sit-ups, running in place, push-ups, crunches, bicep curls, leg extensions and shoulder presses.
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