As more Americans become diagnosed as overweight and obese, many women are looking for reliable workouts to help lose weight. Despite the plethora of fad diets and workout techniques out there, weight loss is essentially a numbers game of the calories you consume vs. those you burn off. For best results, combine your workout with a healthy, low-calorie diet of whole grains, lean meats and dark, leafy greens.
Effectiveness
According to the Mayo Clinic, a weight loss program must achieve a calorie deficit of 3,500 calories to burn one pound of flab. While all exercises burn calories to a certain extent, aerobic/cardiovascular workouts are specifically designed to increase the number of calories you burn per session, resulting in accelerated weight loss. Although women's workouts offer exercises devised with women's bodies in mind, the best barometer for gauging a workout program's weight loss effectiveness is to calculate the number of calories it burns off each week.
20-Minute Fat-Burning Workout
"Women's Health Magazine" recommends this workout for women who can only dedicate two sessions a week for their exercise. Combining seven different exercises, from lunges to plank leg lifts, the 20-Minute Fat-Burning Workout claims to burn a high number of initial calories while causing a metabolic spike that continues to burn fat up to 16 hours after you leave the gym. For best results, pair this workout program with a 2-to-1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein in your diet.
Bikram Yoga
Bikram Yoga is a 90-minute, 26-posture yoga series that takes place in a room heated to 105 degrees. Although there's certainly plenty of water weight lost each session, this is only temporary, and the real weight loss occurs with the number of calories you burn while holding intense postures such as Camel and Triangle. According to the Quickfit Yoga Calories Burned Calculator, a typical 90-minute session of Bikram yoga can burn 1,021 in a 150 lb. person. Drink plenty of water before and after class, and attend three to five classes a week to gain the most weight loss benefits.
The Daily Workout
Shari Roan of the "Los Angeles Times" takes a different tack than the 20-Minute Fat-Burning Workout, recommending at least 60 minutes of daily activity for women who want to maintain a normal weight. Many women gain an average of 1.5 lbs. each year between the ages of 25 and 55, resulting in a gradual weight gain that could lead to health complications. Prevent weight gain and accelerate your weight loss by committing to at least 60 minutes of daily aerobic activity -- from power walking to bicycling or swimming.
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