Losing weight and burning fat may be easier than you think. The key to successful fat burning is to establish a routine of exercise and healthy eating, and to follow this routine for a period of time long enough to see results. Of course, to maintain your fat loss, you must incorporate this routine into your lifestyle. To burn fat you must consume fewer calories than your body burns. When this happens, your body will use fat for energy, causing fat cells to shrink. A caloric deficit of 3,500 calories will result in the loss of 1 lb. of fat.
Exercise
Cardio and aerobic exercise play an important role in burning fat. A 155 lb. person will burn approximately 564 calories by running five miles in one hour. Other cardio exercises include aerobic classes, brisk walking, bike riding, swimming or even dancing. If you maintain your normal eating habits but incorporate an exercise in which you burn 500 calories per day for seven days, you should lose 1 lb. in a week. If you decrease your calorie consumption that week by 500 calories per day in addition to exercise, you should lose 2 lb. of fat in one week.
Weights
Lifting weights not only builds muscle but also helps to increase your daily calorie burn. Lifting weights causes your body to break down muscle tissue, which in turn is repaired after you finish your workout. During this repair, your metabolic rate will remain elevated for hours following your weight session, so your body is still burning calories even after you are finished with your work out. As you burn fat and increase muscle mass, it will be easier to maintain a lower body-fat percentage due to an increased metabolic rate, because muscle tissue burns more calories than fat tissue. The more muscle your body has, the higher resting metabolic rate you will have. You want a high resting metabolic rate because this means that even when you are not exercising, you will be burning more calories.
Interval Training
Interval training is alternating intense activity with lighter activity. This type of workout helps to burn the maximum calories in the least amount of time. It also increases your cardiovascular fitness, enabling you to workout longer. Instead of just walking, try alternating walking for 10 minutes and sprinting for two minutes. You will get a boost in the number of calories you burn.
Considerations
To maximize your body-fat burn, incorporate 20 minutes of cardio into your daily routine five days a week and add weight training to your routine three days a week. It is also important to consult with your doctor before beginning any exercise or diet program.
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