According to the American Council on Exercise, 20 minutes of moderate to intense exercise on most days of the week is enough to help you lose weight. Since weight loss tends to vary depending on individual circumstances, it may take a bit more or less to see some weight loss. In general, there are a few considerations to heed when it comes to exercise and weight loss. Learning how to work with these considerations will help you lose weight fast and in a manner that is most convenient for the time you have available to train.
Frequency
Frequency is one consideration and relates to how many times throughout the week you work out. Someone who works out twice a week may find that they lose weight slower than someone who works out every day. Since this isn't the only consideration in how fast you'll lose weight, it's best to stick to a certain schedule and modify it accordingly. For example, if you find that you don't lose weight working out three days a week, you might want to add a fourth day to see if you can improve your current weight loss situation.
Intensity
Intensity is another consideration for weight loss and involves how hard you train during your workouts. Some people find that even if they work out every day, they still can't lose weight. According to the American Council on Exercise, one way to tell if you're working out hard enough is whether or not you can have a conversation during your exercise. If you can talk on your cell phone, read a magazine or breathe without making noise, you may need to up the level of intensity. Hiring a personal trainer is a great way to find out if you're working out as hard as you should in order to lose weight.
Duration
The duration of an exercise program is just as important as the frequency and intensity. The reason being is that some people tend to respond to longer, less frequent workouts and others tend to respond better to shorter, more frequent ones. The average workout session can last anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes. The main factor in the duration of your workouts -- and how helpful they will be for weight loss -- will be how intense each workout is. A light workout lasting 60 minutes will be less effective than a highly intensive workout lasting a mere 20 minutes. If you're a beginner, you'll most likely want to begin with light to moderate workouts to avoid injury and overexertion. But if weight loss is your goal, you have to make sure to slowly increase the intensity of your workouts as time goes by or you will most likely see your weight loss slow down.
Metabolism
According to the National Federation of Professional Trainers, your metabolism is a crucial factor in how well your body will respond to weight loss. Although exercising tends to raise your metabolism, there will still be those with slower metabolisms and those with faster metabolisms. If you have a family history of obesity, your metabolism may be a bit slower. If this is the case, you will have to work out harder and more often than someone with an average metabolism until yours speeds up. Typically once you lose enough weight, and do it the right way -- through proper dieting and exercise -- you will have reconditioned your metabolism and typically need to workout less to maintain the weight you've already lost.
References
- "Sports Nutrition Manual"; National Federation of Professional Trainers, Mark P. Kelly et al.; 2006
- "ACSM's Resources for the Personal Trainer"; American College of Sports Medicine; 2010
- "American Council on Exercise Personal Trainers Manual"; Cedric X. Bryant; 2003
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