What Is The Best Exercise For Losing Weight?

All health professionals agree that the most effective way to lose weight and keep it off is to modify diet and exercise.  Cardio intensive workouts burn the most calories and this is the best way to lose body fat.


Because exercise needs to be regular and somewhat consistent to yield results, it is best to choose an exercise that you enjoy or at least don’t hate.  Generally it is best to mix up slow & steady workouts with high intensity workouts.  Slow and steady workouts involve a duration of between 45 minutes and an hour; low intensity exercise; will burn fat rather than carbs; and are easier on your joints.  High intensity workouts are 20 – 30 minutes in duration; involve interval training and ‘explosive’ movements (like sprinting); burn a lot of calories while also boosting your metabolism throughout the day.

The best cardio exercises to burn the most calories are: Bicycling, swimming, step aerobics, racquetball, rock climbing, cross-country skiing (outdoors or in the gym), running, elliptical trainers, rowing, and walking..  All of these activities will burn about 300 calories in 30 minutes apart from walking which will burn up to 180 calories in 30 minutes.  The latter is obviously an excellent choice for those with joint or back problems who need a low impact way of burning calories.

Running is a popular choice because it is cheap: A good pair of running shoes will last 6 months to a year (if you run regularly) and there are no other fees to worry about.  If you can, do a variety to keep you interested and work the most muscle groups.