Best Cardio Exercises For Weight Loss

You could not lose weight without performing cardio exercises. Cardio workouts are the most effective method of burning the excess fat in the body.

How Cardio Aids Weight Loss

To lose weight, your total calorie expenditure should be more than your total calorie intake. While a healthy diet controls your calorie consumption, physical activities would burn the excess fats in your body. The heart rate increases during cardio workouts. This indicates that the heart is pumping more blood. Your breathing rate also increases. You start perspiring. All these are signs of elevated calorie expenditure.

Types of cardio Exercises

Regardless of age and health condition, you can find a suitable cardio workout. These exercises do not require specialized equipments. You might not require expert guidance to perform these workouts. Simple physical activities such as brisk walking, running, jogging, swimming and cycling are examples of cardio exercises that could facilitate weight loss. To lose weight, you should perform moderate to high impact activities. The impact level of a cardio exercise is determined by the target heart rate attained during the workout.

High impact cardio activities such as running helps to burn more calories than medium and low impact exercises such as walking, cycling and swimming. Cardio exercises that involve the whole body, such as cross-country skiing, could quickly burn calories. Even mowing the lawn is a type of cardio workout that aids weight loss. Instead of sticking to a single exercise, perform different types of cardio workouts. You can even play tennis, badminton or soccer to lose weight. Combining different cardio workouts would not only reduce boredom but it will also improve the effectiveness of your weight loss workout plan.

Calories Burned in Cardio Exercises

A person weighing 150 pounds would lose 170 calories by walking for 30 minutes at a speed of 4 miles per hour. You would burn 100 extra calories by running at 5 miles per hour speed. Swimming for 30 minutes could burn 270 calories of energy. You would lose about 238 calories by riding a stationary bike for 30 minutes.

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A person who has never exercised before would lose weight rapidly after starting the cardio exercises. Gradually the muscles involved in the cardio workout become accustomed to the exercise stress and you would not lose any more weight by exercising at the same intensity. To lose more weight, you need to increase the duration and/or the intensity of the cardio exercises.

Beginners should start with brisk walking, before adopting high intensity cardio exercises such as running and jogging. However, high intensity cardio might not be suitable for obese people. The excess body weight increases the risk of joint damage while jogging or running. Walking is the safest option for obese people. Cycling a stationary bike might help obese people to lose weight gradually without injuring the joints.

Duration of Cardio Exercises for Weight Loss

If you have never exercised before, you should exercise for 20 to 30 minutes, five times a week. As your fitness level increases, you can add extra minutes to your exercise schedule. Usually moderate to high intensity activities for 60 minutes, five to six days a week, accelerate weight loss.