How to Burn Calories
How can I burn calories?
To lose weight you have to burn more calories than you eat. A good cardio workout 3 to 4 times a week is a great way to burn calories. Cardiovascular exercise will keep your heart healthy. The goal is to get your heart pumping for about 40 to 60 minutes during each cardio workout.
Some Cardio Exercises
It’s easy to come up with ways to get your heart rate up.
- Running
- Biking
- Walking
- Aerobics
- Jumping Jacks
- Swimming
- Sports
Just be sure to find something you are comfortable with and that you can do safely. Running is a very common way to get in some cardio. A treadmill is a great alternative for those who don’t want to brave the weather or may be embarrassed to run in public. Also, a treadmill provides a softer contact surface for your feet which reduces the risk of injury and is easier on the joints.
How hard should I work out?
The idea is to keep your heart rate in the target heart rate zone. This means keeping your heart between 50 to 85% of your maximum heart rate. It is recommended to wear a heart monitor while doing cardio. Some people would rather not wear a heart monitor. In this case you can use the conversation method. If you can hold a conversation while working out, you are not working too hard.
High Intensity or Low intensity
Both will show results in burning calories. Lower intensity means a longer workout but calories will still be burned. This was the method of choice for a long time. Recent studies have shown that higher intensity shorter workouts burn more calories faster. An example might be sprinting for 5 minutes then slowing down for 2 or 3 minutes, then sprint again for another 5 minutes and so on. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) has proved to be the very effective in burning calories and will raise your resting metabolic rate.