Submitted by: P. Smythe

One thing that most experts agree on is that the only way to effectively lose weight is to run a daily caloric deficit. That is, on a daily basis you should consume fewer calories than your body actually needs. Running caloric deficits aside, you should also do a cardio workout several times a week. Not only will this get you into shape and increase your endurance, it will also burn up a lot of calories greatly speeding up the process of losing weight.

One thing that a lot of people do not understand is how intense a workout should be to maximize your fat loss. If you have ever used an elliptical or tread mill you have probably noticed that they have a reading which indicates the pace you need to achieve to enter into the “fat burn zone.” This zone is a steady low intensity pace that maximizes the number of fat calories you will burn in your workout.

But is the “fat burn zone” really the best place for you to be at? Well that depends on what your overall goals are. When you are in this zone you will rapidly burn fat calories. The workout will make you sweat, but it is not nearly as intense as a workout that takes you above this zone. This is a good and a bad thing. The good thing about not going past this zone is that it is a lower intensity workout. People who are not used to cardio exercises will have a much easier time working out in this zone than anything above it. Typically, if you are new to this kind of exercise and you try to push yourself to hard you end up quitting or having shorter exercise periods. For weight loss it is much better to stay in the “fat loss zone” for 30 minutes than it is to jump up into a higher intensity, but only be able to go for 15 minutes.

Now if you are capable of going up into higher intensity areas then by all means do so. While this will not maximize the number of fat calories you burn, it will create an optimal combination of calories burnt and fitness gained. Basically going into higher intensity workouts will increase your overall fitness while at the same time burning a good amount of calories. The endurance gains you will get from higher intensity workouts will ultimately lead to more effective cardio sessions.

In reality there is no ideal cardio zone. As long as you make sure you are getting at least 20 minutes of sustained cardio in, and pushing yourself hard enough to work up a good sweat, you are doing just fine. Although the longer you can go the better. As far as the intensity of the sessions goes, that depends on your mental state (how much pain can you take) and your current physical condition. Just don’t push yourself to hard and burn yourself out. For those of you who are really in poor physical condition just start out by walking. Believe it or not you will actually burn more calories walking one mile than you would burn jogging that same mile. Begin walking off the weight and slowly build yourself up into more intense cardio sessions.

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