According to the American Council on Exercise, to lose weight you need to balance calories consumed with the number of calories burned through physical activity. Because intense cardiovascular (cardio) workouts such as running, stationary cycling and aerobics tend to burn the most calories, people turn to these forms of exercise to lose weight and tone their bodies.
Getting Started
Combine aerobic activity with a healthy diet to achieve optimal weight loss results. It takes about 3,500 calories to equal 1 pound of fat, which means you need to burn 3,500 calories more than you take in to lose 1 pound. So if you cut 500 calories from your diet each day, you'd lose about 1 pound a week (500 calories x 7 days = 3,500 calories). Adding a cardio workout that burns 500 calories a day can double your weight loss efforts.
Research findings from the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR) reveal that 98 percent of people who have achieved a sustained weight loss (a 30-pound loss for at least one year) made changes in their diet. Strategies used by the NWCR study members to keep the weight off vary, but most report continuing to maintain a low calorie, low fat diet and doing high levels of activity.
Choose an Activity You Enjoy
Instead of choosing an exercise program because it burns the most calories, try picking one you will stick to. Most likely you will continue participating in activities that you have fun doing. Top calorie burners can be found among a variety of fitness, aquatic, sports and dance-based activities.
Determine Frequency and Duration to Achieve Your Weight Loss Goals
Strive to get at least 30 minutes of physical activity most days of the week. To lose weight, maintain weight loss or meet specific fitness goals, you may need to make changes to your intensity, duration and frequency as your program progresses. Ninety- four percent of NWCR participants reported increasing their physical activity, with the most frequently reported form of activity being walking. Ninety percent exercise an average of one hour per day. Consult online tools, such as LIVESTRONG’s Daily Plate, to calculate how many calories you are burning.
Rev Up Your Workout by Kicking Up Intensity
Make sure you are working out hard enough to achieve cardiovascular benefits by raising your heart rate. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control says that while doing moderate-intensity aerobic activity (walking, water aerobics, doubles tennis or mowing the lawn), you should be able to talk, but not to sing the words to your favorite song. Vigorous cardio will raise your heart rate significantly and cause harder and faster breathing. You shouldn't be able to say more than a few words without pausing for a breath.
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