Carrying extra weight on your body can have you wishing for a quick way to shed the fat. The safest way to lose weight and keep it off is to exercise and follow a calorie-reduced diet to lose 1 to 2 pounds per week. As you modify your eating habits and perform exercises that work quickly, you can drop the pounds and sculpt your muscles for a slimmer physique.
Interval training is an efficient way to burn more calories in less time, the Mayo Clinic says. Instead of working out for an entire hour at your normal pace, you can decrease your time investment by 10 to 15 minutes with short bursts of high-intensity movement. Interval training can be incorporated into any type of aerobic exercise that involves steady movement, such as walking, jogging, bicycling or swimming. After four to five minutes of movement at your normal, moderate pace, move at a faster pace for a 30- to 60-second interval. Continue to alternate these intervals to boost your calorie- and fat-burning potential.
Circuit training combines short periods of cardiovascular exercise with strength training exercises. This heart-pumping, total-body workout helps you slim down and tone your muscles at the same time. Circuit training can be done at home or at your local gym. The University of New Mexico recommends performing three minutes of cardiovascular exercise between each 15- to 45-seconds' worth of strength training. Use jumping rope, jogging in place, riding a stationary bike or jogging on the treadmill as some of your cardio choices. In between each three-minute aerobic spurt, do strength training exercises such as chest presses, bicep and tricep curls, abdominal crunches, squats and lunges.
You can lose 1 pound a week through exercise by doing cardiovascular exercises that burn approximately 500 calories per workout. Since you're more likely to stick with an exercise program you enjoy, it's wise to vary between two or more forms of cardio exercise you like to do. Race-walk for an hour and 10 minutes, or jog or swim for an hour, to burn 500 calories. Add a social element to your exercise by playing golf for an hour and 45 minutes or participating in group cycling for 45 minutes. Varying your cardio workouts also helps you avoid exercise boredom as you work toward shedding excess weight.
Exercise alone is not as efficient in helping you reach your weight loss goals as exercise combined with a calorie-reduced diet. Cutting calories by 500 per day will help you lose 1 pound per week. Achieve this easily by choosing herbal tea or water instead of soda or sugar-laden coffee beverages to save 250 to 500 calories. Eat a diet rich in fresh produce, whole grains, lean proteins and low- to nonfat dairy to fuel your body for exercise and promote good health.
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Common-Sense Strategies to Long-Term Weight Loss
- MayoClinic.com: Rev Up Your Workout with Interval Training
- University of New Mexico: The Fitness Professional's Complete Guide to Circuits and Intervals
- Shape Magazine: Workout Routines -- Calories Burned During Exercise
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