There are so many weight loss programs and exercises to choose from but the best one for you needs to encompass two things.

The first thing needs to be that it is enjoyable for you.

The second is the exercise you choose must make your body sweat. Not a dripping sweat workout but a moderate amount to let you know you is burning calories. The best exercises for losing weight encompass creativity and variety so you will stay interested in what you are doing.

For those that love to walk, this is the best exercises for losing weight for the beginner. It is the easiest to do and is the one of the most effective.

There are no restrictions on when you walk. You can pick any place to walk. No special equipment is needed. Walking will help take extra weight off the body and also boosts the cardiovascular system.

Using a stationary cycle is also effective in losing weight. It appears to function the same as walking but the rate at which one burns calories is much higher. You can easily use this machine at home while you are watching television or a movie or listening to your favorite CD. Cycling can be done in your spare time and burn some extra calories off your body in the process.

Aerobics are very useful as one of the best exercises for losing weight. They can take pounds off the muscles of the body.  It is like dancing but with exercise steps thrown in. The idea is to move the body to the flow of the music. It assists in raising the amount of activity to the muscles and raising the amount of brain function. It is important to stay fit by doing regular exercise but do not do these exercises to the point that it causes stress and anxiety.

The absolute best exercises for losing weight is interval training. This encompasses high and low resistance workouts throughout the workout. You can combine many exercises together to make a completely unique routine. The level of intensity can also change to meet the needs of the individual as they advance in their fitness level. You are in charge of the speed and variation of the entire interval workout.

For those who take on any of the best exercises for losing weight  it is essential to also take care of your diet.

It is true that your exercises will not be as effective if you are eating the wrong way or having too much calories each day. It is best to stay quiet about your intent to lose weight. Only those close to you should know about it to help you stay motivated. Motivation is so important in any exercise you plan to do. You cannot meet your goals without it.

A successful exercise plan should be one that has realistic, rational, and obtainable goals. It should never be set for the long term so you will not feel overwhelmed and give up on any of the best exercises for losing weight.

Cardio exercise is such a strange thing.  In theory, it should work so perfectly well for all men and women, but as anyone who has tried it knows, the practicality of it just doesn’t add up.

After all, some men and women do cardio 6 hours, 9 hours, or more per week, and still have belly fat to burn. On the other hand, it works just fine for others.

British researchers wanted to get more insight into this paradox, and studied 35 overweight men and women, who weren’t previously exercising.

(Reference: International Journal of Obesity 32: 177-184, 2008).

Subjects exercised 5 times per week for 12 weeks.  That’s a lot of exercise, but it helped the subjects lose an average of 8.2 pounds, which is great – I was positively surprised by the results.

So cardio will work for some people, however, in my experience, it works best in young men, who need the help the least!

Back to the study, the variance in fat loss between individuals was huge. Check this out…

The best subject lost a staggering 32.3 pounds in 12 weeks, while the worst subject actually GAINED 3.74 pounds.

The scientists think they know where things went sour.  They classified the subjects into 2 groups, called the “Compensators”
and the “Non-compensators”.

The Compensators were hungrier, and as a result consumed an extra 268 calories per day, all but wiping out their cardio efforts.

Therefore, the Compensators lost the least amount of weight, and scientists believe that was due to the huge “compensatory” increase in appetite experienced by this group.

Does your appetite increase when you do slow cardio?  If it does, research shows it will ruin your cardio efforts.

So if your cardio program is not working for you, check your appetite and calorie intake to see if you are “compensating” for your efforts. If you are, you might be better off using a program of high-intensity resistance and interval training (i.e. Turbulence Training) for your weight loss efforts.

As Australian Professor Steve Boucher has shown in research, interval training increases hormones called catecholamines.  And increased catecholamines can reduce appetite, among other fat-burning benefits.

In the real world, few people lose 33 pounds after 12 weeks of cardio. Heck, few even achieve an average weight loss of 8 pounds with aerobic exercise.

So again, check your appetite, and consider giving high-intensity exercise a go for your next workout program.

Beat the curse of cardio with high-intensity Turbulence Training.

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training

About the Author

Learn about the “Dark Side of Cardio” in the free report from Craig Ballantyne at Turbulence Training for Fat Loss. Craig is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit Turbulence Training for Fat Loss