While losing weight is the result of a concentrated effort to consume a healthy diet and exercise regularly, maximizing the efficiency of your workout and reaching your goals quickly requires a little bit of knowledge about the way your body works. Performing exercises that are targeted toward your goals will help you quickly form a foundation for progress and launch you in the right direction.
Step 1
Monitor your food intake. While the amount of calories you consume is important, the composition of the food you eat will determine the types of changes you make to your body. According to American Dietetics Association editor and registered dietitian Joanne Larsen, the calories of your diet should consist of 55 percent carbohydrate, 15 percent protein and 30 percent fat. These should be from complex sources like vegetables and whole grain bread, lean chicken breast and unsaturated oils like olive oil, respectively.
Step 2
Lift weights. Strengthening your muscles will increase the amount of calories your body burns. Additionally, strengthening your legs will help you run faster, resulting in an increase in the amount of calories you burn during your cardiovascular exercise. Exercise your muscles three times a week with a day of rest between each session. Perform full-body exercises starting with abdominal crunches, bench presses and chin-ups. Then continue with squats, biceps curls and shoulder presses. Finish your routine with dead-lifts and hamstring curls. Each of these should be performed for three sets of eight to 12 repetitions, according to the National Academy of Sports Medicine.
Step 3
Exercise your heart and lungs. Running is an excellent source of consistent, rhythmic cardiovascular exercise. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends running five days a week for an hour each time.
Step 4
Exercise with intervals. Mix up your cardio routine by interjecting high-intensity interval workouts. Tabata, a 14-minute cardio workout, is designed to help you burn calories for up to 48 hours after your session. Exercise using this protocol by warming up for 5 minutes at a slow jogging pace. Then sprint as hard as you can for 20 seconds, followed by a 10-second recovery jog. Repeat this cycle seven to eight times and cool down with a 5-minute slow jog.
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