No matter what workout you choose, you're unlikely to lose a lot of weight in one month. In fact, health counselor Maya Paul recommend a maximum of 8 to 10 lb. per month for healthy weight loss. When picking workouts for faster results, cardiovascular programs are the better choice since they burn the most calories per hour.
Daily Walk
Taking a walk every day is so beneficial that "You: The Owner's Manual" author Dr. Mehmet Oz recommends literally everybody do it. Walking for just 20 to 30 minutes per day can help you get started toward more aggressive weight-loss goals. To have more fun and hold yourself accountable, invite a friend or family dog to take your walks with you.
Interval Training
Fitness writer Gerard Taylor recommends interval training for weight loss because it lets you maintain an elevated exertion level over longer periods of time. Interval training means alternating between periods of mild to moderate exertion and periods of flat-out sprinting. An example would be running around a jogging track, switching between a jog and a sprint every 100 yards.
Group Fitness
Group fitness classes help motivate you to attend and stay intense by combining personal encouragement, colleagues and driving music to push you along. The more aggressive group fitness classes can burn hundreds of calories per hour, moving you swiftly toward your weight-loss goals. Note that some group fitness classes are cardiovascular, but others are resistance classes more suitable to building muscle than losing fat.
Three by Three
The three-by-three workout has been popularized in fitness programs like Body for Life and Finally Fit. It consists of doing six workouts each week, with one day off to rest. Three of these workouts are a 20- to 30-minute cardiovascular session. The other three are 30- to 40-minute resistance training sessions. These combine the calorie burning aspects of cardio with the shaping, toning and metabolic boost of resistance training. According to fitness coach Ben Cohn, a three-by-three workout means slower weight loss in the earliest weeks, but results in faster results later on.
References
- "Body for Life"; Bill Philips; 2006
- "Capoeira Conditioning"; Gerard Taylor; 2005
- Ben Cohn; Fitness Coach; Hillsboro, Oregon
- "You: The Owner's Manual"; Dr. Mehmet Oz; 2006
- Help Guide.org: Healthy Weight Loss
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