Cardio at home for fat loss

Cardiovascular exercise is any type of exercise which raises the heart rate over a prolonged period and eventually improves heart health, lung capacity and efficient lung functioning along with many other benefits. The words aerobic and cardio are often interchanged in the terminologies used for exercise regimes. Strictly speaking, cardio fitness is a type of aerobic exercise and aerobic just means ‘with or using oxygen’.

Aerobic exercise is an effective way of losing weight and burning fat if it is practised regularly. 

When the body undertakes aerobic exercise, glucose in the body, converted from glycogen, reacts with oxygen and produces carbon dioxide. This process releases energy. Once glycogen stores have been exhausted the body will utilize fat stores to create energy instead. This reaction is only initiated after a prolonged period of exercise and its initial stages are often known as ‘hitting the wall’.

Short bursts of exercise or regimes such as strength training are known as anaerobic exercise and will not initiate the processes involving oxygen which help in fat loss.

There is some evidence to suggest that early morning exercise before eating initiates the fat burning stage of cardio exercise faster. However, other experts believe that the reduced ability to train effectively completely counteracts any benefits gained in this way.

As a general guide any exercise which makes you out of breath and is maintained for at least 20 minutes will class as aerobic exercise. It isn’t necessary to spend lots of money going to the gym as there are many cardio exercises you can do at home and on your own schedule for fat loss.

These include:

• walking up and down the stairs repeatedly

• skipping with a rope

• jogging

• maintained fast walking

• bicycle exercise

Should you wish to be part of a group or class then exercises such as Tae Bo, kick boxing and swimming can all be beneficial.

Bear in mind that no amount of fat loss exercise will have the optimum benefits unless the regime is supported by a healthy diet. Some people believe that, as they are exercising regularly, they can eat what they like. The actual equation for cardio exercise and fat loss is simple. If you are using more energy than you are taking in then you will lose weight. If you eat more in calories then you expend during exercise you won’t lose any weight at all, you will gain it.

 

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