Help With Weight Loss & Exercise

No matter how much desire, willpower or commitment you have to a weight-loss program, you'll need to do some research to succeed; diets and workouts that worked for your friend may not work for you. Learning to eat and exercise in ways that help you avoid weight gain and promote sufficient calorie burning is easier today with the help of free online resources. Understanding the basics of weight loss and calorie-burning exercise will help you meet your fitness goals.

Nutrition Help

The federal government provides consumers with a variety of free tools to help maintain or lose weight. You can learn the number of calories a person your age, weight and activity level should eat each day in the free publication "Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010," available at the US Department of Agriculture's website. The US Food and Drug Administration provides an explanation of how to read nutrition labels at its website.

Exercise Guidelines

Since everyone has different exercise needs, the American Heart Association provides general guidelines for working out. For adults age 65 and under, the AHA recommends 30 minutes of moderately intense exercise, five times per week or 20 minutes of vigorously intense exercise, three times a week for maintaining heart health. If your goal is weight loss, the AHA recommends raising your workout times to between 60 and 90 minutes.

Workout Suggestions

Organizations such as the American Council on Exercise provide specific workout recommendations, with exercises, intensity levels and durations. For example, a circuit training workout helps you burn calories and improve muscular endurance. The ACE recommends performing an exercise at 40 to 70 percent of your maximum intensity for 30 seconds, then moving to another exercise, creating a circuit of four exercises. Take a three- to four-minute break and start another circuit. The Bay Area Medical Institute provides a page at its website to help seniors create effective exercise routines.

Online Tools

If you need help determining how many calories you should eat each day, how many calories your favorite exercise burns, or your target heart rate for calorie-burning exercise, you can find a variety of free tools online. MayoClinic.com provides a chart of exercises and how many calories they burn per hour. If you're interested in determining your body mass index, visit the AHA website for a free BMI calculator.