How to Lose Weight Fast

One of the greatest tools a person can utilize for successful weight loss is motivation – and a great motivator is a solid understanding of how exercise helps you lose weight. Remember, knowledge is power – and the following guide should start you down the road towards a slimmer, healthier “you.”

A Brief Lesson in Weight Loss
In order for the body to lose weight, it must burn more calories than it consumes – a concept known in the nutritional world as a “calorie deficit.” Although a low-calorie diet, resistance training and cardiovascular exercise all contribute to the calorie deficit required to lose weight, cardiovascular activity remains cornerstone of rapid weight loss.

The Weight Loss Benefits of Exercise
Physical exercise at a moderate intensity level elevates your heart rate and gets the blood pumping, causing you to breathe heavily and sweat. These factors cause the body to burn a significant amount of calories and help you lose weight fast. Another benefit of physical exercise is that through burning calories you can create the calorie deficit you need to lose weight without making any changes to your diet.

Types of Exercise for Fast Weight Loss
Depending on your level of exertion (intensity), length of activity and current body weight, you can burn anywhere from 150 to over 500 calories in a single session. Higher intensity exercises over longer periods of time burn more calories than shorter, easier exercises and the heavier a person is the more calories they will burn. To illustrate the idea, below is the average number of calories burned in a 30-minute session for a 150-pound person:
• Walking 4mph: 170 calories
• Running 5mph: 270 calories
• Stationary Bike: 238 calories
• Elliptical Training: 387 calories
• Rowing: 247 calories
• Swimming: 270 calories
• Jump Roping: 282 calories

Exercise and Calories
There are 3,500 calories in pound of body fat – and the safest, most effective way to lose weight is dropping one pound per week. In order to lose a pound of body fat per week, nutritional experts recommend 45 to 60 minutes of moderate intensity physical exercise most days of the week. If this amount of exercise seems overwhelming, start slow and build your way up to longer sessions. In addition, you can alter your diet by cutting out calories, as this will help you create a larger calorie deficit to lose weight fast.

Crunch Time
With this basic knowledge about cardiovascular activity and weight loss, you are ready to hit the gym and set the wheels in motion. To locate a Lucille Roberts women’s gym in your area, complete with scheduled classes and weight loss programs, visit www.LucilleRoberts.com.