When designing their weight loss exercise programs, people
want to know the best exercise for weight loss. Surprisingly, the exercise that
burns the most calories is not always the best exercise for weight loss. Sure,
it's important to burn calories, and we'll tell you which exercises burn the
most calories in just a moment. But it's also important to burn fat.
The best weight loss exercises are slow, aerobic, long
duration exercises. They also involve most of the major muscle groups. These
are the exercises that will burn fat. They include exercises like walking,
jogging, running, cycling, swimming, and elliptical trainer workouts. These
exercises burn more fat than exercises that involve short spurts of activity
followed by periods of rest, such as volleyball, tennis, racquetball,
basketball, Frisbee, and golf. Those exercises will burn calories and can be
included in weight loss exercise programs. They just don't burn fat like the other
exercises we listed do.
The key to burning fat is to exercise for a longer period of
time. For the first 20 - 30 minutes of a work out, your body burns
carbohydrates. Now, those are calories, so that will help you lose weight. But
after 20 - 30 minutes, your body starts to burn fat. That will help you lose
pounds and inches quickly.
In addition to the slow, aerobic, long duration types of
exercise, strength training or weight lifting should be added to weight loss
exercise programs. This will build muscle, and muscle burns more calories than
fat. Muscle will burn more calories all the time, even when you are sleeping,
not just while you are exercising.
It is also a good idea to choose several activities to vary
your routine. After a while, your body becomes accustomed to a specific type of
exercise, and as your muscles adapt, your body will use fewer calories. Good
weight loss exercise programs include variety. That helps prevent boredom, as
well.
