You lose weight by burning more calories through activity than you take in by eating. One way to do this is to increase your activity level through exercise. Ninety minutes of daily cardiovascular can certainly raise your chances of establishing a caloric deficit --- but it can also represent too much of a good thing. Consult your doctor before beginning any new fitness or weight-loss regimen.
Cardio and Weight Loss
There are two basic categories of exercise: cardiovascular training and resistance exercise. Cardiovascular exercise contributes to circulatory health by raising your heart rate over an extended period of time. Resistance training builds muscle strength by forcing your muscles to operate under heavier loads than normal. In general, cardiovascular exercise burns more calories than a comparable course of resistance training. Some examples of cardiovascular exercise include running, cycling, aerobics and cross country skiing.
Calories Burned
According to the HealthStatus health-resource website, a 150-lb. person would burn about 700 calories in 90 minutes of high-impact aerobics. She would burn 900 in 90 minutes of cycling, 1,000 running at a moderate pace and 1,150 cross country skiing. Heavier people will burn more calories, while lighter people will burn fewer.
Overtraining
In their book "You: The Owner's Manual," Drs. Mehmet Oz and Michael Roizen warn that intense training can be hard on the body in the long term. A 90-minute workout every day, without days off to rest, can harm your joints and connective tissues. From a weight-loss standpoint, a workout this vigorous can push your body into an energy-conservation mode that burns fewer calories --- thus slowing your weight loss.
Diet Support
If you burn 1,000 calories per day in a workout, you may lose weight. However, if you eat an extra 1,000 calories each day you exercise, you won't. Like any other exercise plan for weight loss, getting a cardiovascular workout for 90 minutes each day will work better if you support it with a weight-loss diet.
References
- HealthStatus: Most Accurate Calorie Counter
- "Eat, Drink and Be Healthy;" Walter C. Willett, M.D.; 2004
- "Body for Life"; Bill Phillips; 1998
- "You: The Owner's Manual"; Michael F. Roizen, M.D., and Mehmet C. Oz, M.D.; 2006
Member Comments