Despite what advertisements may claim, there's no quick-fix for weight loss. If you want to lose weight, you can achieve lasting results by exercising and eating healthy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends losing 1 to 2 lbs. per week for a healthy, sustainable rate of weight loss. Finding the best exercise program for your weight reduction goals can put you on the track to success.
Weight Loss Basics
The formula for weight loss is burning more calories than you consume. A pound of fat is equivalent to about 3,500 calories, so if you burn 500 calories more than you eat each day, you will lose one pound in a week. Exercise burns calories and boosts your metabolism, helping your body burn calories at a quicker rate. The amount of calories you burn during exercise depends on your body weight, sex, age and the type of exercise you are doing.
Cardiovascular Activity
Cardiovascular exercise elevates your heart rate for a continuous period, strengthens your heart and muscles, as well as burns calories. Cardio exercises are the backbone of a full-body workout plan. The American College of Sports Medicine advises doing moderately intense cardio 30 minutes a day, five days a week for good health. If you want to lose weight as quickly as possible, you can add more duration or intensity to your program. For example, a 150-lb. person who runs for 30 minutes at 10-minute mile pace burns about 342 calories. If the person runs for 45 minutes at the same pace, she burns about 513 calories. By stepping up the intensity and running for 30 minutes at 7:30-minute mile pace, she will burn 458 calories.
Strength Training
Adding strength training workouts to your cardio program can help you burn more calories, speeding along the weight loss process. Resistance training strengthens bones and muscles and elevates your metabolism so you cna burn more calories even while resting. Resistance training also build lean muscle mass, which burns more calories than fat. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends doing resistance training twice a week, with eight to 10 exercises and eight to 12 repetitions of each exercise. Choose exercises that work your major muscle groups, including your arms, torso and legs.
Warning
Consult your doctor before beginning an exercise program as you may have a medical condition that is preventing weight loss. If you do not know how to do a specific exercise in your program, ask a coach, physical therapist or trainer. If you use free weights for your strength training workouts, have someone spot you at all times. Get checked if you have any sharp or lasting pain that begins while you are working out.
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