What is the best cardio to exercise to lose weight?

Question

should I be running straight for 30-45? Or mix up the machines for about an hour? I need to lose 15 IBs by Feb :)

Answer 1

What you need is 20 to 40 minutes of vigorous physical activity.

It could be swimming, running, biking or really anything that keeps the heart rate up.

I would not recommend mixing up machines unless you can go from machine to machine with no breaks.

Cardio work-outs are my least favorite and I have tried to get around this part of my workout since I started, but they are necessary if you wish to lose fat while you are gaining muscle.

Answer 2

Cardio- means related to the heart, (as in it increases your heart rate, and causes your heart to work, and hence strengthens the heart) Exercise is work on any muscle, which should help tone, and strengthen the muscle being worked. If you study the caloric "cost" of exercise, the bottom line is that you will work yourself to a pulp (a frazzle, a total exhaustion) long before you loose much weight, at some 4000 calories/pound. Eat more healthy food, more low "glycemic index" food, more high fiber food. (and less of all the rest of the stuff) Make your last meal of the day earlier. It takes about 6 hours for the digestive system to finish its work, and ideally you would go to bed with the system empty--that is 6 hours after your last meal. Assuming your liver is in decent health, it can mobilize energy faster than your basal rate, so you won't starve by morning, and until you eat, your liver will be working in that direction. As soon as you eat, your liver will start working in the other direction (saving fuel) so do NOT start your day with a miniscule snack. Your liver will start saving, and the food value of the snack will soon be used, and your blood sugar will plummet. (fall rapidly) Don't eat until you are really hungry, then have a decent meal. Think of an unhappy stomach as a pain in the neck, and don't eat to cure a pain in the neck. Low blood sugar symptoms include Shakes and narrowing vision. (The eyes and brain use a large amount of energy, and if it is in short supply the above symptoms are possible.) if you are eating less, be sure to have adequate vitamins and minerals, especially the B complex

Answer 3

Running is tough on the knees and other joints. Try swimming, elliptical or rowing machines. Anything that gets your heartrate up for 20 minutes minimum.

I prefer rowing. It is an aerobic weight lifting excercise and takes you through a larger range of motion than probably any other cardio excercize. Check out www.concept2.com for the best machine... they are available at most Y's and health clubs. Remember to keep your back straight... don't slouch when rowing.

Cardio burns fat, but weight loss comes from eating less. It'll take you 45 minutes of hard cardio to burn off a Snickers bar.

Answer 4

I just tryed the elliptical machine for the first time today and I like it! You can put it on a setting to where it gets harder for a few minutes and stuff like that. Mixing it up is better. Learn what your target heart rate is and stay above it for a half an hour or more. After about 6 weeks of one thing do a different kind of cardio or you will plateau and not see results. I just learned all this from a trainer yesterday. Hope it helped!

Answer 5

Well believe it or not, you're only burning calories during that 30-45 minutes of cardio. Best thing to do is weight lifting. The rebuilding of your muscles burn calories long after you quit working out. Make sure to eat protein. Other than, a stationary bike is good, you work your heart with little impact on your joints.

East 3 square meals a day. Drink lots of water and cut out the pop. Make sure you get protein (4 ounces per meal) for the repair of your muscle. Drink at least 64 ounces of water a day and nothing (maybe coffee or tea but not too much sugar)

What I did was buy a covered mug that was 64oz and sipped on the water throughout the day.

Between the water and protein you shouldn't feel very hungry throughout the day.

Also keep in mind to eat small meals. Don't eat large meals and try not to eat after 6:00pm.

Cut out a lot of bad carbs (sugar, pasta, breads, potatoes.) Eat lots of fiber. Wheat bread is ok but stays in your gut. Oatmeal and seasoned egg whites in the morning is good.

Don't skip breakfast!

Weigh yourself every day to keep you on the right track.

Good luck!

Answer 6

do a combination of cardio exercises. For example run for 20-30 mins, walk, jump-rope 10 mins, sit ups100 at least , crunches around 200, hoola-hoop 40 mins. Substitute the exercises The only thing you should do every day is sit ups and crunches, but definitely substitute the others.
When i was a personal trainer, this is the program i would get people on:
Day 1 do sit ups and crunches, then do your walking. Next day run first, then do sit ups. Day 3.relax, take a break. The day after that do sit ups, crunches and hoola-hoop, and on the final day, sit ups, crunches and jump-rope

Answer 7

I lost a lot of weight by alternating sprinting/slow jogs for about 45 minutes. Two days a week I did 20 minutes on the elliptical and took a bike class just to save my knees. Throw in some weights and watch waht you eat and you will have no problem losing 15 pounds by Feb.

Answer 8

Fast walking for an hour is better cardio that running. Do it at least 3 times a week, watch your diet and burn enough calories...15pounds by february is not a problem.

Answer 9

Its best to switch up exercises. But to burn fat you need to keep your heart rate elevated for about 45-60 min. It is also best if you do it the hardest for the first 5 or 10 minutes the reduce to a speed you can maintain for the rest of the time.

Answer 10

Cut carbs from your diet and walk, don't run, on a tredmill for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

I started out slowly and 30 minutes, now after 1 month, I'm up to 1 hour at 4 mph.

Drink lots of water