One you'll do! When I want quick results, I do interval training. Research shows that vigorous bouts of aerobic exercise followed by easier ones, or mixing cardio intervals with strength training (as I do here), burns tons more calories in less time than if you were to work out at a steady intensity.

Intervals supercharge your metabolism, so you burn calories all day long. And constantly switching from one move to the next keeps things interesting.

The following program combines kicks, jumps, and squats. It really works your hips, thighs, and buns, so you tone and trim inches at the same time.

Your Toning Program
Beginner: Do 30 seconds of each of the five exercises; repeat the entire sequence four times for a total of 10 minutes.

Advanced: Do 1 minute of each exercise; repeat the entire sequence four times for a 20-minute fat-blasting routine.

Do three to five times a week.

1. Front Kicks
Stand with your feet apart, left foot in front, and hands in loose fists in front of your chin, palms facing each other.

Keeping your abs tight, lean your weight into your left leg. Lift your right knee to waist height, and kick your lower leg straight out in front of you as high as is comfortable. (It's a quick but controlled movement.) Keep your left (standing) leg slightly bent. Immediately bring your right leg back down. Do 5 to 10 kicks, then switch to your left leg.

2. Travel Squats
Stand with your feet together, arms at your sides. Step your left foot out to the side. As you land, sit back, bending at your knees and hips. Don't let your knees move forward over your toes. Raise your arms in front of you as you sit back.

Squeeze your butt, and press through your heels to stand back up. As you do, step your right foot in to meet your left foot. Then step your left foot out to the side as you squat once again. Do 3 or 4 squats to the left, then go to the right.

3. Do jumping jacks

4. March in place, or jog

5. Side Kicks
Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width and your left foot turned out about 45 degrees. Hold your hands in loose fists in front of your chin, or rest your left hand on a chair for balance. Lean to the left, and cock your right hip up. For a printer-friendly version of all steps click below.

Lift your right knee. Then, without lowering it, kick your lower leg out to the side. Keep your abdominals tight, your left (standing) leg slightly bent, and your right foot flexed. Concentrate on kicking through your heel. Bend the knee back in, and bring your leg down. Do 5 to 10 kicks with your right leg, then switch to your left. Start low, gradually working up to higher, faster kicks.

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What types of exercise will help with fat loss?

People often ask me this and I say “Table push-aways and fork put-downs” (sometimes this confuses them briefly as they try to imagine how table push-aways could be some kind of new bench press variation). What I mean by that, though, is that no exercise, or training regimen, will help very much with fat loss unless you also improve your nutrition
and eat less. The first thing that needs to happen to lose fat is that you have to expend more energy than you take in. If you exercise but still eat too much, then that fat is going nowhere but orbiting your bellybutton.

The best fat loss is through diet and exercise

However, exercise is indeed an important part of losing fat. A recent study (Weiss et al 2006) from Saint Louis University compared the effects of exercise versus diet alone in losing fat. Although both groups (the dieters and the exercisers) lost weight, only the exercisers maintained their strength and muscle mass and increased aerobic capacity, while those who dieted lost muscle mass, strength and aerobic capacity. Some people who lose weight
by dieting alone actually end up with more body fat than when they started because of this muscle loss. In other words, they may be smaller or lighter, but relatively speaking, they’re fatter than they were before! Oh, the irony.

In the last few decades people have become convinced that low-intensity cardio such as distance running is the best way to lose fat, and that especially for women, strength training is inadvisable. People also often do exercises such as inner/outer thigh machines or sit-ups, hoping that this will help trim their thighs or slim their waistlines. None of these approaches is correct.

Weight/fat loss program that works!

Here’s what does work:

* Creating a caloric deficit through consistently being more active and eating less. Ideally, do this on a daily, long-term basis.
* Regular resistance training, ideally compound (multi-joint) exercises, done at a level that is challenging (for the average person, something like 6-12 reps per set is a good general thing to shoot for). This preserves lean muscle tissue that would otherwise be lost along with the fat.
* “Interval” cardio: alternating brief periods of very high intensity (like sprinting) with periods of low intensity (like walking). Another way to do this is known as the Tabata protocol: alternating 20 seconds of intense activity (including traditional weights exercises such as squats or pushups) with 10 seconds of rest. As long as the high intensity periods are high enough, you can apply the concept to anything you like: hill or stair runs, hitting a punching bag, cycling, jumping rope, elliptical machine, dumbbell or kettlebell swings, etc.
* If you’re a beginner or starting out with a lot of body fat, you can substitute regular moderate cardio for intervals, but you can still try for the interval concept by working at a lower level. Try something like walking as briskly as you can manage for 30-60 seconds, alternated by moderate strolling for 30-60 seconds.
* If you do enjoy endurance-based cardio work like distance running or hiking, by all means do it! The most important thing is that you do what you enjoy, and what you will do consistently and frequently. However, even for endurance athletes, incorporating interval training will help with speed and overall work capacity.

Source:

Weiss, Edward, et al. “Lower extremity muscle size and strength and aerobic capacity decrease with caloric restriction but not with exercise-induced weight loss.” Journal of Applied Physiology November 9, 2006.

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I've heard dieting isn't enough to lose weight. You also have to exercise. But how much do I have to exercise in order to lose weight?

It depends. We lose weight if we burn more calories than we take in. Normal maintenance activities like muscle repair and regular physiology and simple walking uses about 15 calories per pound. Someone who does not move around much all day might only needs about 13 calories per pound and someone who moves all day might use 17 or more calories per pound.

Every mile walked or run burns 100 calories more or less. Another way to look at it is every half hour of brisk activity burns about 300 or so calories, depending on how much you weigh now and how vigorous the activity is.

If you increase your activity by 500 calories a day and do not increase your eating, you will lose 3500 calories a week, the equivalent of 1 pound. Alternatively, if you reduce your eating by 250 calories per day and increase your activity by 250 calories, it’s still a net loss of 500 calories per day or 1 pound per week.

To avoid becoming discouraged, start adding activity slowly. Try using the stairs instead of the elevator or park at the far end of the parking lot when shopping. Try going dancing so exercise will be fun. Swimming is good activity when it’s hot. Not only will you lose weight, but you will have more energy.

It isn’t necessary to be an athlete to lose weight. Simple changes can add up to significant pounds lost.

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Three simple workouts that will take off major pounds. Pick the one that's perfect for you.

Easy? Check. Cost-free? Check. Gets real results...that really last? Check, check. Well, what more could you want from a slim-down plan — except that it be flexible enough to fit into your busy schedule? Okay, this one does that, too.

In fact, this plan is so easy and natural, it hardly feels like a weight-loss program. Of course, that's the beauty of walking: The simple act of placing one foot in front of the other — no gadgets, no gear, no trips to the gym — can totally transform your figure, even if you don't change one thing about your diet!

Walking can also transform your health. Experts now say that taking roughly 10,000 steps per day sets off a chain reaction of physical benefits, including lower blood pressure, reduced risk for heart disease and better odds for preventing breast cancer.

Does 10,000 steps sound overwhelming? A little perspective: It translates into 4.5 to 5 miles, or one hour of rapid walking. Still sound like a lot? Try breaking it into shorter bits: three 20-minute errands on foot, one breezy 30-minute walk before breakfast and another after dinner. Or simply commit to getting up once an hour, every hour throughout your day and moving for five minutes.

However you break down the steps, there's only one fabulous result: a slimmer, more energetic you. In 60 minutes of walking, you'll burn 300 to 500 additional calories. Keep that up for 10 days and you'll lose a pound. Keep it up for a year and you'll be 35 pounds lighter — without a minute of dieting.

Do you really have time for a walking workout? Absolutely — you just need to find a routine that fits into your already superfried schedule. Pick your profile from one of our three plans, and let us solve your when, where and how.

"I don't have a full hour. Can I still squeeze in exercise?"

PROFILE: Your job or your family, or both, have you going all day long. You never get more than 20 minutes to yourself, and commuting eats up a lot of that time.

Your 60-minute walking workout:

# 15-MINUTE WALK TO WORK
Whether you usually drive yourself to the office or travel by public transportation, leave a little earlier and park farther away from your building or get off the bus a few stops earlier than usual and walk the rest of the way to your destination. (Note: Do not do this in high heels. Say no to fashion and wear sneakers instead. The alternative is to risk serious injury.) Remember, your goal is to walk a little more than a mile in 15 minutes. To figure out how far — or how many bus stops — that is, drive the route once and map the distance.

# 20-MINUTE LUNCH CRUNCH
Make your lunch hour count for something other than calories. Slip on your sneakers, exit the building, and do a few laps around the block. Window shopping is allowed, but to get your heart rate up, don't be suckered into the stop-and-stare routine. Keep pumping your arms and shortening your stride so you squeeze in more steps per minute. On your way back to your desk, pick up a healthy bite to eat and plenty of water to replace lost fluid. See, that wasn't so hard!

# 10-MINUTE COFFEE BREAK (A.K.A. POWER WALK)
It's 3:00 in the afternoon...do you know where your energy is? If you've lost it somewhere in the office abyss, you're not alone. The best way to regain your mojo is to hustle! This time, get a little tricky. If no one's looking, do the grapevine on your stroll to the corner deli, walk down an empty hallway backward, climb the stairs with your eyes closed (use the railing!). The idea is to involve all of your senses, even those not normally active in an office environment. You'll feel infinitely more alert when you return to your desk.

# 15-MINUTE REVERSE COMMUTE
Now it's time to return home. Follow your morning walk backward for the evening trip. Remember, you're shooting for 1.2 miles in 15 minutes, but it's okay if it takes longer at first — just keep working on improving your time.

WALKING 20 MINUTES, THREE TIMES A DAY, IS AS GOOD AS WALKING AN HOUR.


"I'll concentrate and do it all at once."

PROFILE: Lucky you. Finding a full hour to devote to working out is no problem — and you'd rather bite the bullet and get it done than worry about weaving it into your day.

Your 60-minute walking workout:

# 2-MINUTE WARM-UP
Standing in place, take five long, deep breaths. As you inhale, raise your arms slowly over your head; slowly lower them as you exhale.

# 15-MINUTE MILE
Grab your watch and pedometer. Your goal is to walk one mile (roughly 2,200 steps), anywhere you want, in 15 minutes. Concentrate on coming down on your heel, rolling through the ball of your foot, and pushing off the toes with each step.

# 3-MINUTE STRETCH
Now that you've warmed up, work out any kinks. Calves: Lean against a tree or wall and extend one leg behind you in a lunge position. Hold for five counts; switch legs. Quads: Bend one leg behind you, pulling your foot to your bottom with one hand and using a wall for support with the other; switch legs. Hamstrings: Sit on the ground and extend one leg in front of you, keeping the other one bent and relaxed. Reach for the toe of the straight leg for five counts; switch legs.

# 12-MINUTE MILE
Get ready to hustle! For the next 12 minutes, you are going to move between a slow jog and a fast walk. Speed walking is easy once you get the hang of it — stay focused on taking short steps rather than longer ones. To really get going, pump your arms back and forth vigorously — no reason your legs should be doing all the work!

# 3-MINUTE TONING
Okay, you survived. Now, drop and give us 10 — really! Mixing cardio with strength training in a workout burns more calories. Find a patch of grass and complete 10 push-ups (modify by pushing from your knees), 10 sit-ups and 10 leg lifts on each side.

# 12-MINUTE MILE
Here's the final intensity component to your routine. As before, keep yourself moving somewhere between a slow jog and a fast walk. Pay attention to your posture: Speed should come from bending your knees, not from lunging forward, which can cause injuries.

# 3-MINUTE STRETCH
You're officially heading home now. To keep your muscles long and limber, repeat the calf, hamstring and quad stretches you did earlier. This time, hold each position for 10 counts and feel how much deeper into the stretch you can go, now that your muscles are warm. Clasp your hands behind your back and pull up with your arms for a good chest, biceps and triceps release.

# 20-MINUTE COOLDOWN MILE
You've worked hard; now it's time to slow the pace and return your heart rate to normal. As you walk this last mile, let your arms swing loosely at your sides. By the time you've hit 20 minutes, your breathing and pulse should be almost back to normal, so that you could easily carry on a conversation.

WALKING-INJURY WARNING: DON'T TENSE YOUR NECK OR ARCH YOUR BACK.


"Help! I hate to exercise!"

PROFILE: It's tedious, time-consuming and boring. To hit 10,000 steps a day, your workout has to be fun, or it's not going to happen!

Your 10,000-step walking workout:

# WALK THE DOG
Start the day with a 10-minute morning stroll (1,000 steps).

# CALL YOUR MOM
Pace nervously while reviewing your life — and receiving unasked-for advice — during a 15-minute phone call to Mom (1,000 steps).

# MANGIA!
Find a deli five blocks from your building and take a noontime trip (even just to get something to drink), hoofing it 10 minutes each way (2,000 steps).

# WATCH TV
March in place for 15 minutes during the evening news (1,000 steps).

# CLEAN HOUSE
You have to do it anyway, plus it's 2,000 steps for 30 minutes.

# AN AFTER-DINNER STROLL WITH HUBBY
Take a 20-minute sunset walk (3,000 steps): What better way to lose weight and rekindle your romance?

TAKING 10,000 STEPS A DAY LOWERS HEART-DISEASE RISK BY 40 PERCENT.


Beginners!
Focus on miles, not minutes.

When you start your walking workout, don't be intimidated if you can't keep pace with the time suggestions here. These are your ultimate goals, but the health and weight-loss benefits of walking are measured in number of steps, not minutes. Even if it takes you 20 minutes to walk a mile instead of the 13-minute ideal, don't give up. Your first goal is to reach the 10,000-steps marker, then worry about whittling down the time it takes to reach it. Do a little more each day, but don't overdo it. Good luck! (If you've never exercised or haven't done so in a while, check with your doctor first.)

How to customize your workout:
A pedometer registers step count, but maximum health benefits also require the right exertion level. Rule of thumb: If you can't catch your breath enough to say hi to a friend, slow down. Able to belt out your favorite song, no problem? You're taking it too easy. To up your workout ante, consider these variations:

* Increase your pace, not your stride. Taking more steps per minute instead of longer ones not only helps you walk faster (a 12- to 13-minute mile is optimal), it also elevates your heart rate without increasing your risk of injury.
* Pretend you're on a tightrope. Professional walkers place one foot directly in front of the other, as opposed to taking hip-width strides. Follow suit, and you'll increase your energy output and use more major muscle groups.
* Work your arms. Bend your elbows at a 90-degree angle and pump them back and forth as you step. This propels you forward faster and burns more calories.
* Head for the hills! Adding an angle is the surest way to increase the intensity of your walking workout. If you're on a treadmill, use the elevation button.
* Use weights or walking sticks — both give a more complete workout. The two dumbbells should weigh less than 10 percent of your body weight. Walking sticks (not to be confused with the kind Granddad may have sported) increase energy expended by 20 percent.

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So you have heard something about how exercise is for anti-aging. Perhaps now you’re wandering if all those rumors are true. The good news is that yes they are! Let’s have a look at just five of the ways that exercise can help with your anti-aging efforts:

HGH Production

This is an abbreviation for the human growth hormone which is inside all of our bodies. HGH not only helps to keep you looking younger but it also helps to keep you healthy and so feeling younger. If you don’t have enough HGH in your body, your skin is likely to sag, you will develop wrinkles, your energy levels will be low and you will be more prone to gaining excess weight, especially around your waist.

It also improves our cardiac function, sexual function, lean mass, hair thickness, and younger skin texture. Enough HGH and it will also eliminate cellulite, and your skins elasticity will increase.

By age 20, your natural HGH supply is decreasing. Thankfully, regular exercise can stimulate your body to produce more HGG and that means you'll look and feel younger.

More Toned And Look Younger

Exercise tones the muscles, lubricates the joints, helps keep that troubled mid section under control, and keeps your metabolism functioning properly. If your metabolism slows down you'll discover that you gain weight, have an increased risk of heart disease, and diabetes, and just keep you overall healthier. A recent study showed that those that exercise regularly have on average DNA that is 9 years younger than their real age. So you see it really is an anti aging formula!

Better Health

When you exercise regularly, you are rewarded with overall better health. In fact, studies have shown that increasing your physical activity after age 50 adds years to your life. For example, moderate activity will increase your life expectancy by 1.1 years where as highly active individuals can expect to live 3.2 years longer. And those that exercise regularly don't have heart disease, or other chronic conditions. You are overall much healthier and you will much younger than your actual age.

Improves Energy Levels

Regular exercise improves energy levels. Initially you might be more fatigued but that will pass as your body becomes accustomed to exercising, and then you will benefit from the long term affects of increased energy. More than 70 studies all showed the same thing. Those that began to exercise regularly experienced an increase in energy and a decrease in fatigue. They slept better, and they felt younger because of this increased energy. Their minds are more alert, their thinking process becomes sharper, and they effects of exercise where much more significant than when a stimulant is used.

Reduces Stress To Improve Skin

When it comes to exercise and reducing stress, how you do your exercise is more important than what exercise you do. In other words, to get the maximum benefits from exercise and stress reduction your program should be suited to you. Stress affects all the organs in your body, including your skin. When you exercise and becomes fitter, your body releases anti-stress chemicals that help to neutralize those chemicals that stress produces. And with less stress, you'll find a significant improvement in the look and feel of your skin. The years will suddenly melt away.

So there you have it. Now that you know the 5 top anti aging benefits of exercise, why wait another day longer to look and feel years younger.

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There are a lot of exercises to help lose 15 pounds that anyone can complete without a lot of effort and experience. Read on for some great tips to lose the weight and gain self esteem.

Easy Ways to Shed Some Sizes

In today’s society, many of us are struggling to find a balance between meeting our fitness goals, while still accomplishing everything on our daily schedule of demands. The result? Quite typically, health and exercise are sacrificed for that extra overtime at the office or much needed down time with friends. This is why learning easy exercises to help lose 15 pounds can make a world of difference. You don’t need to train to be a marathon runner, or even really join a gym to reach this fitness goal, and yet you will still be beyond pleased with the results.

Walk Away

Did you know that burning 75 extra calories per day can lead to an average of 30 pounds lost in a typical year? The best part is, you don’t have to be a devoted exerciser to make this happen. Committing to walk 5,000 steps per day will eliminate those 75 calories in no time flat, and it isn’t even hard to do. Most sedentary individuals still take an average of 2500 steps in a day, meaning that your goal is halfway reached before you even begin.

Consider purchasing an inexpensive pedometer from your local drug store, and strap it on to keep track of your day’s steps. When you feel an urge to snack coming on, instead go for a quick stroll around the block. You can also take the parking spot far from your office or grocery store, and do a couple of laps around the mall if you have some shopping errands to run.

Adding the 5,000 step exercise commitment to your daily routine is easy and extremely beneficial to your health and to your waistline.

15 Minutes of Exercises to Lose 15 Pounds

Another way to reach your weight loss goal is to set aside 15 minutes a day for a personal exercise routine in your bedroom or living room. A fitness video can really help with this, and you may find yourself enjoying your exercise enough to go for 30 minutes to an hour.

However if 15 minutes is all you can spare, try a daily routine of sit-ups, push-ups, and crunches. Exercises to lose 15 pounds really don’t have to be elaborate. They can be as simple as committing to these very basic steps without ever leaving your own home.

Use a kitchen timer to clock your progress, and follow your own customized routine of “ups”, and you will soon begin to see a difference in your clothing size. Remember that exercises to lose 15 pounds rarely work unless they are accompanied by healthy eating, so throw away those sweets and stock your pantry with fruits and vegetables instead.

Finding Fitness Friendship

A final exercise routine that will help you drop that dreaded 15, is to enlist in a local sports league. From soccer to ultimate Frisbee, there are plenty of community recreation centers all over the nation that sponsor an adult sports team. Check with your city’s headquarters for a catalog of classes, or Google your city name with the sport of your choice. You can also get a group of your own friends together and start your own team if one is not available.

Playing sports is a great way to exercise the pounds away, and most people are having so much fun, they forget that they are exercising at all! Playing outside sure beats a workout center’s treadmill, so accelerate the time it takes to lose that weight by making it fun in the process. You will meet new people as you slim down, providing you with both social and physical benefits in the long run.

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Looking for a few good exercises to lose weight quickly? Shedding a few pounds is a common desire, and here are five solid exercises that you can easily add to your regular workout regime.

First, you have to realize that your metabolism is a key factor to weight loss. If you increase your metabolism, you burn more calories around the clock, meaning you can eat the same and still decrease body fat.

There are a lot of factors to take into account, notably diet strategies, but one thing that will have immediate impact is to opt for exercises that both burn immediate calories and boost metabolism for later. One such exercise is the classic squat.

Squat

Squats are performed with a barbell resting across your shoulders with your hands resting on the bar far apart for balance. Back and neck should be straight. Feet should be about shoulder-width apart. For feet angle, use what feels natural; just make sure that when you squat down, your knees travel in the same direction as your toes are pointing.

Some prefer to use a belt for extra back support, but the single most important precaution you can take is keeping your abs tense. Knee wraps are common, but don't use them unless you have a real reason to (i.e. knee joint problems and the like.)

Once you have the basic stance, simply descend in a controlled manner until your thighs are about parallel to the floor, at which point you make a smooth ascent. Push with your heels until you're almost up, but don't lock out your knees; turn and begin the descent again.

Other Exercises to Lose Weight Quickly

The benefit of squats is that it's a compound exercise that involves several major muscle groups. Unlike, say bicep curls, which are isolated to a small part of the body, squats work on a systemic level, building core strength and hiking metabolism in a completely different way. Other exercises that share this desirable characteristic for losing weight quickly are the deadlift, the bench press, the dip and the pull-up.

Deadlift

Deadlifts means you lift the barbell off the floor up to a standing position and back down. This involves many of the same muscle groups as squats (hips, thighs, back and arms to some degree); only the emphasis is more on the back area.

The key to staying injury-fee is to maintain a flat back and tense abs throughout. You may find yourself more comfortable with a wider or narrower stance than you would with squats. The same principle applies; go with what feels natural, as long as the knees and feet are pointing in the same direction during the movement.

Bench Press

The barbell bench press is such a classic it almost needs no introduction, but we suggest going with dumbbells instead. The benefit here is that you incorporate a whole slew of secondary, stabilizing muscles that may help you avoid should injuries and the like in the future. As a bonus, you never have to worry about being stuck with the bar across your throat during a solo workout.

You start by sitting on the foot end of the bench, letting the dumbbells rest on your thighs. Move the hands to a point where your thumbs are about on the level of your lower chest as you "roll" back into a balanced, comfortable position. Keep your hands fairly close to your body with straight wrists throughout the exercise.

You may keep your feet up on the bench (training balance but less power) or on the floor (allowing you to push against the floor for an extra boost). Either way, keep your wrists immediately over your elbows at all times, i.e. avoid letting the dumbbells produce any kind of twisting motion of the shoulder joint.

As with squats, you should turn right before locking out at the top and before hitting the very bottom during the descent. The reason for this is that you rob yourself of some benefit by locking out, while the latter is more about preventing over-stretching sensitive joints.

Dips

For dips, grab two bars about shoulder-width or slightly more, holding up your body in the air with knees bent. Leaning forward slightly, descend slowly until your upper arms are parallel to the floor, at which point you make a smooth but distinct turn and push your way back up. We'd like to emphasize the lower turning point, as repeated over-stretching the shoulder joint in this position is a sure ticket to problems later on.

Body weight alone is usually enough unless you're very strong, in which case you may want to use a weight belt to add a plate or two to your body weight (if your gym doesn't have one, you can hold a dumbbell between your feet.) Likewise, a beginner can place a box or something underneath and use the legs to get a little help. Better yet, use an assisted dip machine that contributes a set number of pounds extra boost.

Pull-ups (aka. Chins)

Finally, pull-ups come in different flavors. Overhand or underhand grip (knuckles pointing away or towards you), narrow or wide grip, straight bar or various handles. They work different parts of the back, but for weight loss purposes, it doesn't really matter. Go with whatever feels good. Use the weight belt if you're strong enough to do more than 12 strict reps, and use the box underneath for help or an assisted machine if you're just starting out.

Conclusion

Again, we'd like to emphasize that we're talking about long-term metabolism gains here, as the immediate caloric "cost" of a 30 second set of squats is of course far inferior to a half-hour on a Stairmaster. However, for a set of exercises to lose weight quickly, and keep it off, these compound exercises are a superb mainstay of your weight training regimen.

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For people who are struggling to lose weight, the point of exercise is not only to increase cardiovascular fitness, but also to burn as much fat as possible. In order to burn fat, there are several factors that come into play.

When Should I Exercise?

You should exercise at the time of day that you are most likely to stick with the program. However, there is some evidence that morning workouts use up the most fat. The reason for this possibility is that the body is inclined to utilize carbohydrates before beginning to utilize fat.

How Long Should My Routine Be?

Although some say that morning activity is preferable, exercise at any time of the day is beneficial, but you must stick with it for a significant amount of time. Although you will increase your metabolism and use extra calories by doing exercise in short ten to fifteen minutes spurts during the day, the real fat burning will come after you have been exercising for half an hour to an hour. The first twenty minutes of a workout may be your body burning carbohydrates. However, this is not to be completely discounted, since carbohydrates are calories, and a calorie lost is good for weight loss. However, to really get down to serious fat loss or conversion to muscle, you’ve have to keep it up. This is one reason why I subscribe to the “any time of day that you will do it” theory of exercise timing. The longer you are able to keep going and the consistency of your program will strongly influence your success.

What Activity is Best?

Your choice of fitness methods depends on the shape you are in and the environment in which you are most comfortable. Again, the most important thing is that you keep going for over half an hour. If you can walk for more than half an hour, but not run for that long, then walking is what you will want to do. If you can run for a few minutes, by all means, work it into your walking workout: run, walk, run, walk. The more intense the movement, the more fat you will burn. Part of this is simple math. While you may burn 250 calories with an hour of walking, you can use up 500 calories an hour by jogging.

You will also want to mix it up. After a while, your body becomes accustomed to a specific sort of exercise, and as your muscles adapt, your body will utilize fewer calories. Then you may find yourself on a weight-loss plateau. After you have gotten into the habit of exercising, and it generally takes six weeks to develop a lasting habit, you will want to explore other activities. If you have been cycling, try jogging a couple of days a week and a nice swim on the weekend. If you normally stick to the treadmill, mix in a couple of Pilates classes.

You will also want to do weightlifting in order to build muscle. What this does is essentially replace fat with muscle. You may not lose a pound by lifting weights, but the looser your jeans fit will certainly be noticeable! What’s more, by gaining muscle, your metabolism is working at a higher rate and requiring more calories even while you are sitting still. Muscle burns calories at a higher rate than fat, so do yourself a favor and work in a weightlifting routine. It needn’t be long—only 20 minutes a day can do the trick.

Combined with a diet program such as Weight Watchers, you can watch the pounds fly off when you combine fat-burning exercise with your weight-loss efforts. It is so encouraging to see results quickly, and when you burn off fat and add muscle, the pounds are sure to come off faster.

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The bottom line, quite literally, is that people do not lose weight and keep it off by merely dieting. For starters, dieting does not build muscle. Conversely, you can actually lose muscle if you do not add exercise into your weight reduction plan. Once you lose muscle, you also lose any weight-loss edge you may have had, because muscle burns more calories than fat, even when you are sitting in front of the television. So, it is essential that you combine any diet program that you may be on with a balanced exercise program.

Keep it in Balance

Like dieting, exercise should not be taken to an extreme. Studies show that athletes who work out excessively often suffer from an increased number of colds and other respiratory illnesses, and have an increased risk of musculoskeletal injuries. Also, regardless of what sort of exercise program you decide to take on, you need to make sure that you are getting enough calories to keep going. An extreme low-calorie diet combined with a dose of unaccustomed exercise is a prescription for exhaustion. Not many people will keep up with an exercise regime if it feels akin to torture and is making them feel ill.

The Weight Loss Formula

Decide how much weight you would like to lose. Then, keeping in mind that it takes a deficit of approximately 3500 calories to lose one pound, decide how many calories you must both burn through exercise and cut from your diet. A safe guideline is no more than two to two and a half pounds per week. So, if you would like to lose two pounds a week, you will need to cut and burn 7000 more calories than normal. That amounts to 1000 lost calories each day. Instead of crash dieting, or overexercising, simply cut 500 calories from your diet, and add in 500 calories worth of exercise. If you are more than a few pounds overweight, you’ll be surprised at how quickly you can burn 500 calories through exercise. There are exercises that burn fat quickly and efficiently.

Types of Exercise

Find exercise that is suited to your climate, interests and level of fitness. You will want to do at least a half an hour of fat burning exercise every day. Basically, the longer you exercise, the more fat you will burn. For this reason, for weight loss purposes, it is better to choose an exercise that you can sustain for 45 minutes to an hour rather than one that you can only do for 15-20 minutes.

Remember, if you are not in the habit of exercising, you will rarely be sitting around the house and suddenly feel the urge to “just do it.” You can develop an exercise schedule to follow every day, and stick to it religiously, whether you feel like it or not. You will find that as you develop the habit, you will begin to feel better after exercising, and that it will eventually become its own reward. If you are a person who is easily bored, schedule one sort of activity for three days of the week, and another activity for the other days. If the activities use different muscle groups, that is even better. Cross training burns more calories than doing the same activity day after day. If you are obese, do not cross exercise off of your list. There are many exercises that severely overweight people can do safely.

You may want to take up a new hobby that will help you expend calories while having fun as well. Examples of fun hobbies that burn calories are gardening, carpentry and rock climbing.

Finally, incorporate some sort of muscle building activity into your exercise routine. You may want to lift weights at a gym or do squats or other isometric exercises that can easily be done at home. The more muscle you build, the more calories you will burn when you are at rest. It’s a nice feeling to go to bed at night knowing that your body is become a calorie burning machine!

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How do diet and fitness work together for successful weight loss and maintenance? We hear that exercise is good for us and should be part of a weight loss plan. Some people dread it. Some people love it. Indeed, being physically active has many advantages. The key is to find a fitness program that works conveniently and comfortably into your daily plan. After all, with 1440 minutes in a day, 30 of them can be dedicated to physical activity.

Fitness Facts

Weight loss is a metabolic process. The energy balance equation is the amount of food calories in compared to the amount of calories used through activity. For weight loss, more calories must be used than the amount consumed. One way to accomplish this is by burning calories with physical movement. Every time you lift your finger or type a letter on your keyboard you are using calories. The more you move, the more you lose, calories that is.

However, in order to lose pounds you need to sweat away enough calories to show for it. Walking off 250 calories and sticking to a low-calorie eating plan appropriate for you will reward you more than if you walked off those same calories yet consumed a 1,000 calorie burger at one meal of your day. Your scale will thank you by paying attention to both diet and physical activity.

Maintaining Weight with Fitness

Physical activity is absolutely the key to weight maintenance. Once a weight goal has been reached, the calories burned through exercise makes a difference. If you had dessert or a beer or an extra helping of your favorite lasagna recipe, those extra calories will never make it to the scale if you engaged in your routine. This is why getting into the habit of being active and sticking to it is so important for managing your weight.

Physical activity, specifically strength training, in which muscle tissues are highly utilized is the best way to preserve lean body mass. Preserving muscle is important because the tissues of the muscles are highly active, even at rest. This produces a higher metabolic rate that requires more calories to operate body systems.

Cardio-respiratory programs that involve aerobics or cycling is an excellent way to keep the heart in tip-top shape, as well as burning calories. The idea is to keep the intensity and duration at a level where carbohydrate and then fat calories are being used for energy. See Fat Burning Exercise for activity ideas.

Making Diet and Fitness Work For You

The best way to make an activity plan work for you as a tool toward weight loss is by being consistent with it. One way to stay dedicated to it is by making sure the routine is enjoyable. For instance, if you love the outdoors you will more likely stick to walking, hiking, running, cycling, or skiing vs. an hour indoors of looking at four walls of a machine-filled gym. On the other hand, if you live in a city with crowded streets and cold days, an hour of indoor temperature-raising aerobics may be your answer, especially if you like music.

You can be active during your daily routine of work and home chores too. Many people are surprised to learn that a 150-pound person vacuuming for 1 hour burns 315 calories. So, maybe you should fire that house cleaner after all. Raking leaves, shoveling snow, gardening, stair climbing are all activities that dip into your calorie pool. Go to the Fitness Calculator.

For those looking for an all-out fitness program that is specially designed for toning those troublesome areas, hiring a physical trainer is an option. Certified trainers are educated in assessing your needs and applying the best plan to meet your specific needs. You can locate licensed personal trainers through your local yellow pages, athletic clubs or online by researching your local area business directory. Most importantly, for successful weight management, a healthy diet and fitness plan is vital to your long-term lifestyles habits.

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