To lose 30 lbs., you'll need to burn 105,000 calories. That's comparable to burning about 1,000 calories more each day than you eat for 100 days. A healthy weight-loss goal is 2 to 3 lb. per week, which gives you a target of 10 to 15 weeks to lose your weight. Work out using aerobic exercise for the most efficient calorie-burning strategy.
Step 1
Assess your current level of fitness. If you are new to exercise, you'll need to spend several weeks building cardio stamina before you can do long, aerobic workouts. If you have joint or back problems, you may need to avoid high-impact exercise or heavy weight lifting.
Step 2
Select a variety of exercises you will be able to do for 30 minutes or longer at a vigorously intense pace without causing injury. You may not be able to do this type of exercise at first, but once you have built stamina, you will perform cardio workouts using these exercises several times each week. Workouts might include cycling, swimming, aerobic dancing, jumping rope or using an exercise machine such as a treadmill, exercise bike, rowing machine or elliptical. Consider doing more than one type of exercise per workout.
Step 3
Calculate your target heart rate range for aerobic exercise using a standard formula. Start by finding your maximum heart rate. For men, subtract your age from 220. For women, subtract 88 percent of your age from 206. Take this number and multiply it by .70 and .80 to get your target heart rate for aerobic exercise. If you are a 30-year-old male, your maximum heart rate would be 220 - 30 = 190. Your target heart rate range would be 190 X .70 and 190 X .80, or 133 to 152 beats per minute.
You also can calculate your target heart rate range using an online heart rate calculator or a personal heart rate monitor. An online calculator or heart rate monitor will require you to input personal data such as your age, gender, resting heart rate and weight.
Step 4
Begin each workout with a warm-up. Start at a pace similar to a brisk walk, increasing the pace over the course of several minutes to gradually raise your heart rate to your target heart rate range. You will also increase your blood flow to your muscles as you warm and stretch your muscles.
Step 5
Begin your exercise at an intensity you can sustain throughout your workout. If you are new to exercise, this would be at a pace comparable to brisk walking. Aerobic exercise is as intense as jogging. Whichever you do, you should be able to talk during your workout. The American Heart Association suggests you will need to do 60 to 90 minutes of cardio exercise most days to lose weight.
Step 6
Look at your heart rate monitor or exercise machine console to determine your heart rate and how many calories you are burning. If you don't have an electronic device to calculate calories burned, use an online calorie calculator, or an exercise chart such as the one provided by the Mayo Clinic.
Step 7
Add resistance to your aerobic workouts to build muscle. Use dumbbells if you are on a treadmill or exercise bike. Increase the gear setting on a bike or resistance setting on a rowing machine. Use a home gym or weight machine with lighter weights to create aerobic workouts with resistance.
Step 8
Reduce the intensity of your workout prior to finishing. Take several minutes to lower your heart rate to below 100 beats per minute. This will help prevent muscle stiffness and soreness later, according to British fitness author Brian Mac.
Tips and Warnings
- You will most likely need to reduce your calorie consumption in conjunction with your workouts to lose 30 lbs.
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