Forget fad diets. Don't even think about starvation and crash diets. The best, healthiest way to lose weight and keep it off is to eat fewer calories and exercise more. Cardio, or aerobic, exercise is the best way to burn fat and improve your heart health at the same time. Put away the junk food and snack on fruits and vegetables to help cut calories, and then get to the gym. There are many ways you can get a good fat-burning workout at a gym. You will also have the benefit of fitness experts to help you plan a gym workout to lose weight fast.
Warm-Up and Cool-Down
Don't jump on the first gym exercise machine you see and start working out. Warm up before you start your exercise routine to help prepare your body for more vigorous exercise. Warm up by doing light exercise, such as jumping jacks, jumping rope or brisk walking on a treadmill. Gradually increase the intensity of your exercise until you start to sweat. When you start to sweat, you are ready for the tough stuff. Warming up before exercise increases blood flow to your muscles and joints and helps to increase your flexibility. Cool down after your workout to gradually slow your heart and breathing. You can cool down by working out on the same machines you used for your workout, just do a lighter intensity until your heart slows down.
Treadmill Interval Workout
Interval workouts help you to burn more calories than steady exercise. Interval training is alternating vigorous exercise with less strenuous exercise. You can get a good interval workout on a treadmill. Start by walking at a regular pace for about one minute. Increase the speed of the treadmill by ½ mile per hour every minute until you are going at a fast pace of 6 mph. Maintain this speed for two minutes and then increase the incline of the treadmill so you are going uphill. Continue to increase the speed every minute until you reach 10 mph. Decline the treadmill and continue working out for another minute. Level the treadmill and then go at a fast sprint for one minute. Slow down to an easy jog and then sprint for another minute. Repeat this interval workout for 20 minutes to burn calories and blast away the fat.
Circuit Training
Circuit training is vigorous exercise where you move from one exercise machine to the next with only a few seconds between exercises to rest. Mix it up by doing some body-weight and aerobics exercises between machine workouts. You can start out by doing some work on the leg press for five minutes, then moving to the chest press. Next, do five minutes on a stationary bike before jogging on the treadmill. Work in some upper-body strength training by lifting free weights or using a cable machine. Climb as fast as you can on the stair climber before you jump rope for five minutes. You should plan your circuit with your trainer to make sure the gym machines are available when you need them.
Step Aerobics
Women love step aerobics. What's so great about step aerobics? It's a challenging and intense cardio workout that burns fat, but it also targets those hard to slim areas, such as the hips, thighs and butt. You can burn up to 400 calories in just 30 minutes by doing step aerobics. To stay motivated, join a step aerobics class at your local gym where you can give and receive support from other women who are trying to lose weight. You'll also need the support of a qualified step aerobics instructor to make sure you perform the moves correctly to avoid injury.
References
Writer Bio
Robin Reichert is a certified nutrition consultant, certified personal trainer and professional writer. She has been studying health and fitness issues for more than 10 years. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of San Francisco and a Master of Science in natural health from Clayton College.