| BEST
EXERCISES FOR BURNING CALORIES |
 Many
people have come to realize that the major culprit in dieting is calories. Calories
are in almost all the things we consume (except for water), and are the most misunderstood
aspect of weight control. Since people have enough trouble figuring out which
foods to eat to lose weight, it is only part of the equation. How many calories
we consume directly affects how much weight we gain or lose. This balance of calorie
intake versus expenditure is the prime determinant of your weight. So now that
this is out in the open, it is clear that there are two ways to affect this equation
- eating fewer calories or burning more calories.
The Basal Metabolic Rate is the amount of calories that our bodies consume at
rest. Since there are plenty of bodily functions to be performed just to breathe
and pump blood, there is a minimum calorie requirement. This tends to be around
2000-2400 per day for men, 1800-2000 for women. We must eat less than this amount
in order to force the body to burn stored fat. This is the most commonly used
method for losing weight, the old-fashioned "diet". However, this can
lead to many unforeseen problems, such as under eating and later bingeing. Decreasing
caloric intake should be done only to the extent of up to 300 calories less than
expected. This can be combined with the second option for the best possible way
to lose weight.
Calorie burning is done whenever you perform a task that requires energy from
the body. Lifting a grocery bag, chewing gum, anything that requires energy burns
calories. However, these activities burn very few calories. We require activities
that burn many calories in a concentrated period of time in order to make them
effective for weight loss.
There are two forms of exercise, aerobic and anaerobic. Since aerobic literally
means "active in the presence of oxygen", in exercise this refers to
activities that require the delivery of oxygen to your cells. Cardiovascular exercises
like jogging, running jumping rope, etc. require your body to pump oxygen to your
cells. This, in turn, makes your body consume calories. These actions burn calories
on the spot, in the timeframe of when you perform them. This concentrated calorie
burning helps lower your intake for the day you do it. Your metabolism does not
really change beyond the time in which you are exercising.
Anaerobic exercises, contrary to aerobics, are exercises that do not require oxygen
- namely muscle and strength training. These activities do not burn so many calories
immediately, but since they require the attention of your oxygen in the bloodstream
to repair the tissue that is affected. This is done over time and occurs well
after the exercise has been done. This is mainly based on tissue repair, which
must be done over time.
The best methods of aerobic exercise are pretty basic, but many can be surprised
by how typical they are. They include step aerobics, bicycling, jogging, swimming,
rock climbing, rowing, and speed walking. Also, sports like tennis, racquetball,
squash, basketball, hockey, soccer, can all help add to your cardio activities.
The best one to choose is either one that you know you can do regularly (several
times per week) or choose to do interval training which involves switching from
one activity to another in one session, such as moving from the stationary bike
to the treadmill to the elliptical trainer, each for about 20 minutes.
For anaerobic exercise, the best methods can vary from person to person, depending
on what our goals are. Since the body will be burning calories trying to repair
the muscles that were used in exercise, how much you use these muscles in training
will decide how many calories you burn. For those attempting to bulk up and
add muscle mass to their bodies, higher weight at lower repetitions is necessary.
For toning muscles, many repetitions at lower weights are necessary, but in
the end, you should be losing about the same amount of calories due to boosted
metabolism.
The anaerobic exercises that help boost metabolism the most are any of the muscle
developing exercises you find in websites and magazines. Free weights, strength
training machines, pushups, sit-ups, etc. They will all cause your body to force
your metabolism to speed up to absorb the effects of the exercises.
It is through the combination of aerobic and anaerobic exercise that you can
burn the most calories. The effects of direct calorie burning during aerobic
exercise and the after-effects of anaerobic exercise that will carry your metabolism
in between workouts. This combo offers you the best chances of raising your
metabolism and burning any of those extra calories you consume, and also any
extra stored fat on your body.
Calorie balance is not an exact science, but it is fairly straight-forward.
You need to combine proper eating with calorie management, burning calories
being a massive part of this. So make sure to include activities that will help
your body keep excess fat off and everything running smoothly.
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