Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Fat Burning Cardio Workouts Can Be Fast, Easy and Free

By Thomas Hodge

Fat burning cardio workouts can be relatively simple, as long as you have the perseverance to hang in there with them. Combined with eating in a way that helps contribute to fat burning, they result in a leaner, meaner you. Plus they are free, they don't cost you a dime.

Do some sort of aerobic exercise each day for 30 minutes. When your heart pumps more quickly, not so fast it struggles, but enough to make you sweat you're doing aerobic exercise. This can include walking, jogging, swimming, stationary bike, and a host of other activities. Include intervals into the aerobic work outs. These are bursts of higher activity that help boost the metabolism even more. That means sprint between periods of walking, or burst to speed while swimming at an easy pace.

The health guides that say to do aerobic exercise three times a week or even five times a week are wrong. The body needs this work each day. For an activity that will be repeated every day, make sure it's something not too hard. In order to burn stored fat make sure to exercise before breakfast or at least before your next meal. In addition to this aerobic exercise install a 10-30 minute after lunch or dinner walk to your daily routine. And remember that life is full of other opportunities to move, whether it be parking further from the store for a little walk or raking the leaves instead of blowing them.

Do simple weight exercise three times a week. More muscle mass means a faster metabolism. A faster metabolism means burning more calories, and thus more fat, even when you're simply performing routine, day to day activities. You'll also feel better and look better just because of the toned muscle.

Never skip breakfast, lunch or dinner. Doing so places your body into starvation mode where it burns calories more slowly. A slow metabolism is the enemy of fat burning. Remember too that eating too little will also drop the body into starvation mode. Most people need to consume at least 1200 calories each day.

Results are pretty special when fat burning cardio workouts combine with healthy diet. They don't have to be difficult. In fact if it's too hard you'll lose motivation and quit the program. Too many people get hyped up on working out after Christmas, or just before the summer beach season, but don't even make it for a month before the difficult workouts ground them into quitting. Don't be one of these start and quit health enthusiasts. - 15438

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