Daily Exercise Routine For Women For Weight Loss

More than 2/3 of women 20 or older in the United States are classified as overweight, and 35.5 percent are considered obese, according to the Weight-control Information Network. Daily exercise can help you lose those unwanted pounds and improve your health.

Cardiovascular Exercise Program

Perform cardiovascular exercise 5 to 7 days per week for significant weight loss, according to the American College of Sports Medicine. Walking, running, cycling, swimming, elliptical or aerobics classes are just a few of your options. Build up so that you are doing 30 to 60 minutes per session at a moderate to high intensity. As you get more fit, increase the challenge of your workouts by changing the activity, increasing your intensity or increasing the duration.

Resistance Training Guidelines

Perform resistance exercises two to three times per week on non-consecutive days, or just every other day. Perform full-body workouts with one exercise for each major muscle group. Start with one set of 8 to 12 repetitions per exercise and gradually increase to two to three sets per exercise. Use a resistance that is challenging, and don't be afraid that you will get bulky muscles. It is often challenging for women to put on muscle size, unless you are genetically built that way. Change your routine every four to six weeks to see continual results.

Sample Resistance Routine

Choose an exercise for the back, chest, shoulders, biceps, triceps, abs, legs and calves. Start with a seated row for your back and then move on to a bench press for your chest. Perform a dumbbell press for your shoulders, a dumbbell curl for your biceps and a pushdown for your triceps. Move to a squat for your thighs and glutes, followed by a standing calf raise. End your workout on a decline ab bench performing crunches.

Success Tips

Plan to lose only 1 to 2 lbs. pounds of fat per week. People that lose weight rapidly often drastically cut their food intake and dramatically increase their physical activity, which are often not sustainable for long. Slowly increase your activity level until you are performing the recommended amounts of exercise. Cut your daily calories by a moderate 10 to 20 percent to provide proper nutrition while still leaving you satiated.