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Weight Loss Exercise

To lose weight you need to do some form of weight loss exercise. A weight loss workout and weight loss are inextricably linked. The basic principle of weight loss states that you have to burn more calories than you consume to lose weight.

In fact, if you want to lose one pound of fat in one week, you need to burn about 3,500 calories more than usual in that period. The only way to burn that many calories quickly is to combine your diet with exercises to lose weight.

Why do you need a weight loss exercises program to lose weight? First off, losing weight requires that you consistently take in fewer calories than you burn. This means lowering your calorie intake by eating less and choosing healthier foods. This also means increasing your level of physical activity -and that’s where weight loss workouts come in.

Exercise To Lose Weight

A daily weight loss workout increases your level of physical activity. When you move, you use up more energy than you do when you are at rest. Thus, when you exercise, you use up more calories.

If the number of calories you burn in a day is more than the calories you took in that day, your body will compensate for the imbalance by using up its energy stores. It will start burning fat and you’ll start losing weight.

A weight loss exercise program is therefore crucial to any weight loss plan. You cannot lose weight in a healthy way simply by eating less. You need to move and you need to exercise. By taking in fewer calories (through diet) then burning more calories (through exercise), you will create a bigger calorie “void”. The bigger this calorie void, the more fat reserves your body will use and the more weight you’ll lose.

Must-Do Weight Loss Exercises

A weight loss exercise program must have two components: aerobic exercises and strength training. Admittedly, you can use only one of them (aerobic or strength training) with your diet and still burn more calories than you can on a mere diet. However, the best weight loss exercise program is a combination of both types.

Aerobic and Strength Training Exercise For Weight Loss

• Aerobic Exercise

Aerobic exercises are also known as cardiovascular workouts. They are designed to improve the cardiovascular system’s ability to distribute and absorb oxygen. Aerobic exercises primarily benefit the heart and respiratory muscles but they definitely have weight loss benefits.

Aerobic exercises help you take in more oxygen. This increases your muscles’ rate of aerobic metabolism. During aerobic exercises, your muscles also use up more fats.

Aerobic exercises are also a great complement to strength training exercises. Aerobic exercises improve endurance. They also help the muscles recover faster from the more strenuous strength training exercises.

So what is the best aerobic exercise for weight loss? There’s no definite answer to that. However, studies show that jogging or walking briskly for at least 45 minutes, 4 days a week can lead to weight loss. If you do this and cut back at least 500 calories off your usual daily calorie intake, you can lose around 2 pounds every week.

If you don’t want to jog or walk, you can play tennis, play badminton or swim instead. Just do whatever aerobic exercise you prefer for 45 minutes (all at once or spread throughout the day) at least 4 days a week to see some weight loss benefits. Generally, the longer (50 minutes everyday is a good benchmark) and the more intense the workout, the better it is for weight loss purposes.

• Strength Training Exercise

Strength training programs are designed to strengthen and build muscles, especially the skeletal muscles or those muscles that support or are attached to the bones. Primarily designed to build up your muscles’ power, flexibility and strength, strength training also has weight loss benefits.

Strength training builds up muscle mass. More muscle mass means a higher basal metabolic rate (the minimum number of calories your body burns at rest). Strength training also temporarily escalates the body’s metabolism. For a few hours after a strength training workout, the body has elevated fat-burning abilities. This transitory benefit further helps one lose weight.

Weight Loss Workout

So what weight loss program should you include in your weight loss exercise program? You have a lot of options. The best thing you can do is go to a gym and sign up for a complete strength training program. Such strength training programs will usually include weight training and elastic/hydraulic training. Aerobic exercises are also generally part of such weight loss exercise programs.

If you don’t have time to go to the gym, you can do some simple strength training exercises at home. Some of the strength training exercises you can do at home include squats, lunges and push-ups.

Conclusion on Weight Loss Exercise

The fastest or the best way to lose weight is to:

• reduce your calorie intake by going on a diet, and
• increase the number of calories you burn by doing weight loss exercises.

Your weight loss exercise program should be a combination of aerobic exercises and strength training. Aerobic exercises will help you burn more calories while exercising. Strength training exercises will ultimately help you burn more calories while resting.

The previous article is on How To Get Rid Of Belly Fat.

Always consult with your doctor or a certified professional trainer before undertaking any exercises, treatments, or dietary supplements.

Other wiki resources:  weight loss diets; protein and weight loss; being overweight; water retention