Having excess body fat puts you at increased risk of health problems such as coronary heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, high blood pressure and certain types of cancer, according to the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition. Fortunately, losing weight doesn't require you to set up a complex exercise regimen. In fact, one simple form of exercise may be all you need to lose weight fast as long as you use it to supplement a healthy diet.
Heart Pumping Workouts
Any physical movement requires you to use energy, which can ultimately help you lose weight. However, the form of exercise that causes you to lose the most weight is aerobic exercise, which causes your major muscle groups to work together in continuous movement, increasing your body's demands for oxygen and calories for fuel.
Intensity
To get the most out of your aerobic workout, exercise at an intensity that is demanding enough to cause your pulse and breathing rates to increase. Your ideal exercise range partially depends on how old you are. You can calculate your "target heart rate" -- the heart rate at which you can reap the most benefits without increasing your risk of physical injury -- by subtracting your age from 220 and calculating 60 to 80 percent of that number, according to the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition. For example, if you are 25 years old, you would want to exercise in a range of 60 to 80 percent of 195, or 117 to 156 beats per minute. Begin in the lowest range and increase intensity as your stamina and strength increase.
Interval Training
Interval training during any form of aerobic exercise is a method that can improve your rate of calorie burn. Interval training involves alternating between high-intensity exercise with lower-paced exercise. For example, if you go on brisk walks, you would alternate between briskly walking for a few minutes with running for a few minutes. This method may allow you to burn off the same amount of calories in a 45-minute walk as you once might have been able to burn in 60 minutes.
Types
You don't need to do the same aerobic activity every day. In fact, finding a variety of enjoyable activities may increase your likelihood of sticking with your new exercise regimen. One potent aerobic activity is running, which, at a speed of 8 mph, may help you burn 986 calories in 60 minutes if you weigh 160 lbs., according to MayoClinic.com. Rollerblading is also high on the list of effective calorie-burning workouts; a 60-minute rollerblading workout may cause you to burn 913 calories per hour if you weigh 160 lbs. Other effective options include tae kwon do, jumping rope and swimming laps.
Duration and Frequency
Most healthy adults should get a minimum of two hours and 30 minutes of moderate-paced aerobic activity or one hour and 15 minutes of vigorous-paced activity spread throughout the week. However, you may need to increase your sessions if you want to lose weight or maintain weight loss. Supplement your aerobic exercises with strength training workouts twice per week on nonconsecutive days to increase your lean muscle mass and boost your calorie burn rate.
References
- ShapeFit.com: Best Cardio Exercises to Lose Weight
- MayoClinic.com: Exercise for Weight Loss--Calories Burned in One Hour
- MayoClinic.com: Interval training--Can it boost your calorie-burning power?
- President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition: Exercise and Weight Control
- American College of Sports Medicine: Physical Activity Guidelines
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