Any exercise is better than no exercise, but some exercises are more effective than others when it comes to giving you a sleek physique. To lose weight, you need to maximize the number of calories you burn during the time you spend exercising. As you continue to get in shape, you will be able to increase the intensity of your workout to burn even more calories -- all the incentive you need to get started immediately.
Cycling
You don't have to be Lance Armstrong to get a ripped physique from riding a bicycle. Anyone can hop on a bicycle, start pedaling and burn calories immediately. A 175 lb. person riding at a leisurely 10 mph pace will burn almost 500 calories. Increase the pace to 14 mph, and you can burn 800 calories per hour. Get into racing, and you could burn an astounding 1,250 calories per hour. Do this on a daily basis, and you'll lose weight to the tune of more than 2 lbs. a week.
Backpacking
While backpacking won't burn as many calories per hour as racing your bicycle will, you will be able to sustain the activity for much longer, resulting in a relatively large calorie burn. A 175 lb. person will burn approximately 550 calories per hour of backpacking. Considering that most backpacking trips involve several hours of walking, you can count on burning a pound or two during a weekend backpacking trip. Leave the trail mix at home, though, if you don't want to undo your hard work.
Swimming
Swimming can burn off 800 calories an hour, leading to a weight loss of approximately 1.5 lbs. weekly when done daily. Don't wait until summer to engage in this calorie-burning exercise. Join a club that has a lap pool and get started. Some people find that they enjoy swimming before work in the morning -- after all, it does give you a jump start on your shower. If you enjoy this activity, consider joining a master's swim group and having fun competing. The hours you spend practicing will help you to lose weight even faster.
Aerobics
A variety of aerobics classes are available at gyms across the country. If you don't enjoy exercising in a group, purchase a DVD and do aerobics at home. Aerobics is an especially good activity for people who don't like dealing with weather extremes, since it is usually done indoors. A 175 lb. person will burn approximately 550 calories each hour she spends doing this activity. Do this exercise daily and you will be on track to lose approximately 1 lb. per week. You will also benefit from the afterburn. The more strenuous an activity is, the more calories your body will continue to burn when you are at rest, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.
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