Question: So how much exercise or diet change do I need to lose weight? Answer: You need to be in a calorie deficit of about 1000 calories a day to lose two pounds per week. The most accepted way of doing this is to cut 500 calories from your diet and to add 500 calories of exercise to your routine.
Any exercise that gets your large muscle groups moving, like walking, running or biking, is excellent for managing your weight. These so-called aerobic exercises get your heart and lungs going, so they’re ideal in burning calories and building your stamina.
Here are some good aerobic exercises and the calories they burn: NOTE: Calories are calculated for a 150lb person doing exercise for 40 minutes. If you weigh more you will burn more calories and if you weigh less you will burn slightly less.
Karate & Kickboxing (515 Calories): Of course I recommend Karate or Kickboxing to be part of your exercise routine because not only are you burning tons of calories, but you are also learning the valuable skill of self-defense. So you are killing two birds with one work out! And because you are part of a class it helps your motivation because you don’t feel like you are all alone. You have an instructor who acts as a personal trainer to encourage you and motivate you, and your classmates help to spur you on and look forward to the social aspect of being in a class.
Karate & Kickboxing will burn 515 Calories
Walking or Running (198 / 515 Calories): Walking or running is a great form of cross training exercise. Why? There’s no other exercise routine that’s quite as simple and accommodating to any lifestyle. In fact, it’s already part of your lifestyle. You already know how to do it, and you don’t have to buy any special equipment other than a pair of comfortable, supportive walking or running shoes. You can walk alone or with others, at any time of day, indoors or out. If you have never run before you can try running for one minute and then walking for one minute. Mile for mile walking burns almost as many calories as running does, with less stress on your joints. However, running will burn more calories in a shorter time. Either way, how long you go is more important than how far you go. Your goal in any exercise should be to get your heart rate up for at least 20 minutes.
Other Good Aerobic Exercise: Other good choices for aerobic exercise are jumping rope (400 Calories), using rowing machines (318) or elliptical trainers (516). You might also choose organized activities, such as an aerobics (325) or dance class (270). And did I mention Karate or Kickboxing class (515)? Just be sure that you’re moving continuously throughout your session.
Consistency: Consistency is important! Set a goal to participate in some sort of aerobic exercise at least 3 times per week. You’ll be amazed at how great you feel afterward and how much extra energy you’ll get! Once you start seeing your waistline get smaller you will probably be motivated to go to the next level by eating better and maybe adding a day or two of exercise. But remember…”All glory comes from daring to begin!”
