What Is the Best Exercise to Lose Weight Fast?

What Is the Best Exercise to Lose Weight Fast?
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Exercising is an important component for those who are trying to lose body fat. The Department of Health and Human Services recommends that you participate in at least two hours and 30 minutes per week of moderate activity or one hour and 15 minutes of vigorous cardiovascular exercise per week to lose weight. Some exercises are more efficient than others in burning calories, and if you understand that, you can maximize the amount of exercise that you complete in a week.

Function Of Weight Loss

To lose a pound of fat, you must create a caloric deficit of 3,500 calories, either by consuming less calories in your food and drink, by burning calories through consistent exercise, or a combination of both.

Efficient Calorie Burning

To make your weight loss efforts more efficient, you want to choose exercise activities that burn the most calories per unit of time. According to the American Council on Exercise, running burns the most calories than any other cardiovascular exercise, averaging 17 calories burned per minute in a 180 pound individual. Jogging, skiing, swimming, dancing and basketball were the remaining exercise activities noted as being effective in calorie burning.

Keep In Mind What You Like

While running burns the most calories per unit of time, if you dislike running and are going to find yourself struggling for motivation to participate in the activity every day, it may be a good idea for you to choose a different exercise option. The most important aspect to losing weight through exercise is to be consistent in your efforts and to participate in some type of cardiovascular activity on most days. Overall, the best exercise to lose weight fast is the one that you’re going to keep doing on a daily basis.

Long-Term Efforts

It’s important to mention that although strength training may not burn the most calories on a day to day basis, it’s highly effective in helping you lose weight over the long term. Participating in a consistent strength training program and adding lean muscle to your body will result in an increase in your metabolism, which means you’ll burn more calories throughout the entire day, even while you’re at rest.

Considerations

While exercise can be a highly effective way to lose weight, you need to keep in mind the impact that your eating and drinking habits have on your efforts. It’s much easier to cut 200 calories from your daily diet than to burn 200 calories while exercising. In addition, many find themselves eating more as they embark on an exercise program, essentially negating the amount of calories they burned during their workout session.

References

Article reviewed by Kelly Birch Last updated on: Jun 30, 2010

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