If your goal is burning more fat, I have good news for you. There are a variety of activities that will help you burn fat, which means that all of us can find something we enjoy, no matter what our fitness level, lifestyle and goals. Higher intensity exercise, like walking, running and weight training are great for burning fat and overall calories. Even lower intensity exercise, like yoga and Pilates, can contribute to fat loss when you combine them with other activities. Find out how you can burn more fat with everything from weight training and running to yoga and Pilates.
1. Burning Fat With Exercise
You may read books or magazine articles touting the 'best' workout or exercise for burning fat but, the truth is, any exercise that gets you into your target heart rate zone can help you burn calories and lose fat. The best exercise is the one you enjoy. When you enjoy what you're doing, you'll do it more often and work harder at it. The key is to focus on a few important factors to get the most out of your workouts. Learn more about burning fat with exercise.
2. Burning Fat With Weight Training
While many of us focus on cardio to burn fat, you might be surprised that weight training is just as important. Weight training, performed within an appropriate program, will build muscle, use some fat as an energy source during the weight training, and also burn some fat in the period after weight training when your metabolism is increased, perhaps for several hours. Learn more about burning fat with weight training.
3. Burning Fat With Walking
Walking is one of the best cardio activities you can do because you can do it anywhere, any time and it's an excellent exercise for fat burning. While any exercise can burn calories, brisk walking for 45 minutes mobilizes the body to dip into fat reserves and burn stored fat. Walkers can also achieve the exercise intensity that uses more fat as fuel. Learn more about burning fat with walking.
4. Burning Fat With Running
Running is a great way to lose weight and inches, and there are ways to burn more calories and make your running workouts more effective. Running at a high intensity, about 80-90% of your maximum heart rate, gives you the most bang for your buck. However, having a variety of hard and easy runs will help you tap into different energy systems and avoid burnout and injury from too much high intensity running. Learn more about burning fat with running.
5. Burning Fat With Pilates
While Pilates doesn't always burn as many calories as higher intensity workouts such as running, walking or strength training, it can be extremely helpful as part of an overall fat burning workout plan. The key is to balance your workout routine to address your overall fitness with Pilates for your core and flexibility, cardio for your heart and strength training for your muscles. As part of a well-rounded routine and a healthy diet, you'll get the maximum fat burning potential. Learn more about burning fat with Pilates.
6. Burning Fat With Yoga
Losing fat happens when you burn more calories than you eat, which makes exercise an essential ingredient if you're trying to lose weight. While some yoga workouts are at a slower pace, yoga can be an effective part of any weight loss program. To get the most fat burning potential out of your yoga workouts, choose a fast-paced practice and combine it with other cardio and weight training activities for a balanced program. Learn more about burning fat with yoga.