Most people would agree that a lean body is desirable. It looks good, and makes you feel good. It also has many health benefits. People with excess fat are more likely to develop diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, asthma, and more. In addition, everyday life is more difficult with excess fat sucking away energy and perhaps affecting your self esteem. If you want to look good, feel good, and catch the eyes of others, losing fat is the way to go. There are a lot of quick fixes and myths out there, but the truth is that eating right and exercising will produce the lean, sexy body you want, that is built to last.
1. Cardio Burns Fat
Cardio exercise, also known as aerobic exercise, is important for losing fat and sculpting a lean body. During the first few minutes of it, your muscles will use glucose stored inside muscles for energy. After the glucose is spent, there will be a brief period of exhaustion. A few minutes after this, the famous cardio phase begins. During this phase, the heart rate will increase and the body will utilize fat tissue for energy. Sustained cardio exercise will continue burning the body’s fat for energy. However, try to keep your heart rate within 40-60% of your maximum rate to burn the most fat (Google this for more info).
2. Remove Fat Layers
Fat around the midsection is the most dangerous kind of fat. It is associated with type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure. Different people naturally have areas of fat distribution. Some people will have more belly fat, while some people will have more hip fat. However, everyone is able to exercise and minimize it, wherever it’s found. It is NOT possible to target specific areas for fat loss – doing 100 crunches every morning will not make belly fat disappear. Losing fat will happen gradually over time, with consistent effort in cardio exercise and diet.
3. Mental Health
Consistent cardio exercise has powerful mental health benefits. Several studies have shown that regular exercise contributed to a positive mental state and reduced signs of depression in countless subjects. It is not a coincidence that people who exercise regularly have more energy throughout the day and a more positive outlook on life.
4. Interval Training
Interval training is exercise that alternates between periods of high and low intensity. Recent studies have shown that interval training is as effective, and possibly even more effective, than standard extended endurance training. 30 minutes of straight pumping on the bike may be less effective than controlled intervals of high and low intensity biking. Studies have shown that interval training increases endurance and the amount of oxygen someone is able to breathe in at once. A popular interval training program is Couch to 5k, look into it!
Visual Impact Cardio
If you are looking for state of the art information on aerobic training to add to your workouts, check out Visual Impact Cardio.
Rusty rocks the conventional boat again with this program and challenges conventional wisdom with info like…
How Stubborn Body Fat is more sensitive to insulin, less sensitive to adrenaline, and has less blood flow compared to “regular” body fat.
Conclusion
Our bodies are with us every moment of every day, so make it worth it. A lean, healthy, body will increase your quality of life. Everyone can increase his or her fitness with consistent effort. For many, it is easier to exercise by following a program like Couch to 5k or P90X than to have a general plan such as “Exercise for 20 minutes every day,” so perhaps try this out. Exercise, along with good nutrition, will help sculpt that fabulous lean body and improve the life of anyone ready to put in the effort!
Sources:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1872379 – Cardio exercise lowers abdominal fat
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11744773 – Fat is utilized for energy during aerobic/cardio exercise
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16825308 – Interval training may be more effective than regular endurance training
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1468-2850.2006.00021.x/abstract?userIsAuthenticated=false&deniedAccessCustomisedMessage= – Exercise helps improve mental health
http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml – Couch to 5k interval running program
About the Author: Becky Williams wants to work for an NGO someday, and work in the healthcare field. Loves to write and perform in anyway possible. She writes about exercise, personal finance & frequenting www.homeinsurance.org.
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