As our nation gets more obese and out of shape, many of us want to reverse that trend in our own lives. Too much time eating poorly and sitting at a desk all day not only causes one to gain extra, unnecessary weight, it can have long-term negative consequences on your long term health. So, if you’ve decided to loose those few extra pounds, and get back in shape, here’s the most effective weight loss exercises.
Effective Weight Loss Exercises #1: Cardio
The key to loosing weight is simple. Your body burns calories at a set rate per day – this is called your metabolism. If you exercise, you speed up your metabolism – for the same calories you eat per day, you’ll burn more of them if you exercise. And, cardio can cause you to elevate your metabolism for up to 24 hours after an exercise session.
The key to an effective fat-burning cardio workout for weight loss, is to make sure you inject brief periods of intense effort into your regular cardio workout (like running, swimming, bicycling, elliptical sessions, etc). This resets your metabolism to a slightly higher rate during your workout. The big benefit here is that it takes hours for it to slow back down again, so you get an ongoing calorie burn long after you’ve finished your workout.
For example, if you’re a walker and you normally exercise for 30 minutes, try adding a burst of jogging for 30 seconds every 5 minutes. As you become more fit, you can increase the interval length to a minute, and decrease the walking segments to 4 minutes. If you’re a runner – try sprinting for 30 seconds every five minutes, and expand it over time while decreasing the jogging pace. For the biggest metabolism boost, you’ll want to make sure that the interval portion leaves you breathing hard.
Effective Weight Loss Exercises #2: Strength Training
Cardio is a great way to pick up your metabolism for up to 24 hours after a workout. But, if you want to turn up your metabolism at all times, you need to add muscle. As you add muscle, your body requires more energy – more fuel – to feed those muscles. And, strength training is the best way to add muscle. This doesn’t mean you become all bulked up. You may actually be leaner with more muscle than you will with the fat you currently have on your body, as pound-for-pound, muscle takes up less space than fat. So, don’t be afraid of adding a bit of muscle – you’ll look leaner and toner than you do today!
Here’s a great sample workout that works for both men and women just starting out with a strength training program. Try to get through the entire routine in less than 30 minutes, and do this 2 to 3 times a week. You’ll find that your muscles will turn into a fat burning furnace!
For the most effective weight loss results, you’ll want to combine cardio and strength training, along with a healthy diet. Check out other blogs posts here on our blog for diet tips and healthy recipes – and if you’re looking for cardio or strength equipment for your home, stop into any of Fitness 4 Home Superstore’s locations in central Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Chandler to find the perfect piece of fitness equipment for your weight loss goals!
