King of Fat Burning: Aerobic Exercises
Diet and healthy nutrition is the first step to achieve ideal weight; but alone is not enough. If we try to lose weight only by throttling our throat, we go through the following 3 stages:
We lose a few pounds in the first week. But these weights are water rather than fat.
In the second week, we see a very rapid decrease or pause in the amount of weight we give. The reason for this decline can be explained by the simple mathematics we see in our article “How Fast Can We Lose Weight?”. A man who weighs 75kg and has a 10% fat burns an average of 2200 calories per day. This person can manage with about 2000 calories per day when he follows a normal diet; which means burning 200 calories per day. If we remember that we had to burn 3500 net calories to burn 450 grams of fat, we could burn 200 net calories a day and burn only 180 grams of fat in a week. This figure is so low that we probably don't even notice this little change while weighing and think that our diet is not working and we give up.
If we decide to continue the diet, 3-4. around the week to increase our weight loss rate to reduce the amount of food we receive more daily. But unfortunately, this is useless. If we recall from our article Nasıl How to Calculate Daily Calorie Needs? Although we eat less than the old can not lose weight.
As a result, if we try to lose weight by dieting only, we will not be successful.
So, if the diet alone is not enough, what is the solution? The solution is the magic words we've always heard but often don't work for:: doing sports ”.
From a weight control perspective, we can group sports under two headings: Cardio and Fitness.
Cardio is the key to fast weight loss and fitness is the key to maintaining our muscle mass while losing weight.
If we try to lose weight by doing just cardio, we lose both fat and muscle. So we need to do both cardio and fitness at the same time to lose healthy weight.
In short, a healthy way to achieve the ideal weight is based on three basic dynamics:
Diet (prevents us from gaining weight)
Cardio (allows us to burn fat)
Fitness (allows us to maintain / increase our muscle mass)
We've talked enough about diet and healthy eating in our last few articles. Next up is cardio and fitness.
We'il start with cardio first. Some of the questions we will answer today:
What physical activities can be considered cardio exercises?
Can we burn fat by doing housework, dancing, playing basketball?
Why isn't swimming a good fat-burning exercise?
What are the basic cardio exercises?
In which exercise do we burn the most calories?
What are the most practical cardio activities?
Cardio / Aerobic Activities
Yun Cardio gelen which means kalp cardio Yun in Greek is used for ”aerobic exercises iyle in sports literature. “Aerobic” means “containing oxygen.. Walking, running, cycling are some of the most well known aerobic activities.
Why Aerobic Activities?
Aerobic activity is the only way to burn fat directly. Our body needs oxygen to burn fat and oxygen is used only during aerobic activities. Trying to burn fat by doing aerobic exercise is much more effective than just trying to burn fat by dieting. When we try to burn fat only by dieting, our basal metabolic rate decreases and this prevents us from burning fat. So the real secret to losing weight is aerobic exercise.
Cardio has other benefits than fat burning:
Increases the rate of food use by cells in the blood
Increases the density of capillaries in the body and increases the delivery of nutrients, oxygen and hormones to the cells.
Improves our fitness and improves performance in jobs requiring physical resistance
What is considered aerobic exercise?
To classify an activity as aerobic:
Must include movement of large muscle groups (especially legs)
Continuous (not intermittent)
Must be a rhythmic structure
Should continue for a long time (at least 20-30min)
Accordingly, activities such as walking, running, cycling, climbing stairs, rowing, skiing and elliptical use can be classified as aerobic exercise.
Tennis, golf, basketball, home or garden work, dancing, choreography are not considered as aerobic exercise because they are intermittent, not continuous or rhythmic, and are not effective fat burning exercises.
Our body burns either fat or carbohydrates (sugar) to obtain energy. The energy required for intermittent, irregular, sudden, stop-and-go activities is obtained by burning sugar / carbohydrate rather than fat. Oxygen is needed to use the oil to obtain energy. Oxygen is used only in continuous, rhythmic, long-lasting activities, ie aerobic activities. This is why our goal is to burn fat aerobic exercises are the main activities we should concentrate. Since non-aerobic (anaerobic) activities use sugar as the main energy source, they are not preferred in fat burning programs. They are mostly made for endurance / stamina enhancement or entertainment.
Now let's see the basic types of aerobic exercise.
Basic Aerobic Exercise Types
Running
Running is one of the most fat burning aerobic activities. However, it may not be an appropriate exercise for everyone in terms of the effort it requires, and if done too much, it may damage the knees in the long term. Running in soil or grass is more gentle to the knees than running in asphalt or concrete. For this reason, if you are a frequent and regular runner, I recommend running in the soil or grass and limiting the run to 3 days per week to protect cartilage structures on your knees in the long run.
ASICS Nimbus
I think the ASICS in Kinsei and Nimbus are the best running shoes on the market right now. I used Kinsei for six years. I've been using Nimbus for the last three months. Although Kinsei is more expensive, Nimbus is definitely a more comfortable shoe. In the meantime, you can use these shoes not only for running, but also for fitness.
If the running is done continuously, it starts to become monotonous after a while. The easiest way to beat it is to run in different places and listen to things that interest us while running. Most people prefer to listen to music. My preference is to listen to audio books while running. I buy the latest books on topics such as philosophy, personal development, history, business, psychology, which I am interested in. Would definitely recommend.
Walk
Running constantly can exhaust human and physical. In this case, some days walking at a fast pace may be a good alternative to running. Or, if you haven't done sports for a long time, brisk walking can be an ideal option to start aerobics. The fat burning potential of walking is low. Fast and brisk walking increases the amount of fat burned. Intermittent walks or small strolls with baby strollers are not considered aerobic exercise. Remember. For an activity to be aerobic and fat burning, it needs to be brisk, continuous, rhythmic and long-term. If we want to burn fat by walking, we need to walk at a fast pace for at least 30-60 minutes.
Treadmill
We can use the treadmill for both jogging and walking. Running on a treadmill has many advantages compared to running outdoors:
As the treadmills have a smoother and smoother surface, they offer a more stable running surface than outdoor conditions. This is an important factor for those who have problems in their knees, new surgery (legs, knees, etc.) and those who are in the rehabilitation process and the elderly.
The treadmills have less impact on our knees than concrete or asphalt thanks to their shock-absorbing materials and mechanisms.
We can adjust and follow our speed on treadmills as we wish.
The treadmills provide multimedia / TV viewing via the screens on them. This is important in terms of breaking the monotony of the run.
Does not depend on weather conditions.
The pluses of running outdoors are:
Running on soil or grass is healthier for our knees than running on a treadmill.
In open air runs, the muscles and ligaments that are not used on the treadmill run / develop because the ground is not as smooth as the treadmill.
Runs in the open air, especially in an environment where we can be green and intertwined with nature, are always more enjoyable.
My personal preference is to run outdoors as far as the weather permits.
One of the biggest advantages of the treadmill is that we can increase the incline as desired. One of my favorite exercises is to walk 30-45 minutes at 5.5-6.0 km per hour, making the incline 15% on the treadmill. Normally a very effective fat burning exercise without walking, high inclination and fast pace can turn into a monster fat burning exercise.
Finally, while running on the treadmill, it is enough to set our speed between 8-10 km / h to burn the optimum fat.
Elliptical Bicycle
It's one of my favorite aerobic exercises. It is definitely more fun than the treadmill because it makes you feel walking in space. And he's kind to the knees. We can do it for a long time with peace of mind. Fat burning potential is also high. But for this we must make sure that we keep our tempo constantly high (at least 70 revolutions per minute).
Skipping rope
It is one of the exercises that we can burn the most calories per unit time. The major advantage of skipping is that it does not require any tools / machines other than a simple rope. It does not depend on weather conditions. We just need to find a rope and a free space. Rope skipping is one of our best aerobic exercise options, especially when we don't have access to the treadmill or we don't have the chance to run outdoors. Also suitable for frequent travelers.
It may take 2-3 months to learn to jump rope rhythmically. So it is a fact that it requires a little patience. My rope learning adventure was like this:
I learned basic skipping techniques from a few videos on Youtube.
I learned to jump 3 minutes without jumping on double legs. (2-3 weeks)
I learned to jump rope on one leg (3 times right foot, 3 times left foot respectively) (2-3 weeks)
I learned to jump rope by giving weight to left (one right foot and one left foot) (3-4 weeks)
I increased my skipping rope period from 3 minutes to 10-15 minutes (4-6 months). This step is optional. We don't have to jump 15 minutes without rope. In 5 x 3 min sets, we can do a very effective fat burning exercise by resting between sets for 20-30 seconds. Just be careful not to rest for long periods between sets. Otherwise, our exercise ceases to be aerobic exercise and we burn sugar instead of fat.
As you can see, learning to jump rope is a demanding process. But once learned, it becomes a very enjoyable exercise. You enjoy jumping rope as if you were dancing. As you can see in the movies, especially when you learn to jump with arms crossed, it doesn't take long to start feeling Rocky.
Rowing Conditioner
Rowing machines are considered by many fitness professionals as the most complete exercise equipment. It exercises and shapes almost all muscle groups in the body such as legs, hips, back, abdomen and arm muscles. It also increases our flexibility thanks to the wide range of motion. It is one of the most reliable exercises and does not harm the knees or other joints. Only those with low back problems may be inconvenient. Fat burning potential is high. The only drawback is a very strenuous exercise, which makes it difficult to do for a long time (20-30 min). Therefore, it can be used with other equipment such as elliptical bike or treadmill instead of doing it alone. For example, we can use a 10 min rowing machine, 10 min treadmill and 10 min elliptical bike without a break. This means that we can easily follow the minimum 20-30 minutes of exercise time required to burn fat.
Swimming
Swimming is considered by many to be the y supreme ”exercise. It works many muscles in our body at the same time; in particular tones / shapes the arm, shoulder and back muscles. It strengthens the cardiovascular system, respiratory system and blood circulation. Even those with back or knee problems can easily do it. In short, swimming is a very good exercise for health.
But when it comes to fat burning, it is not possible to say the same thing. The calories burned per hour in swimming are close to the calories burned in aerobic exercises such as jogging and skipping. The real problem is that many people don't know how to swim fast enough to swim rhythmically without stopping for a long time (45-60min). For those who do not know how to swim well or begin to swim, swimming is not an aerobic exercise (fat burning) for them because they swim, stand and swim for a short time. In terms of accessibility, it is much more difficult to find a hygienic, large (semi-Olympic), beautiful pool than treadmills. We can run outdoors even if we can't find the treadmill in jogging. I can't say the same about swimming. In case we can't find a pool, we can't do our exercise. Finally, because of the exhausting effect of water, we feel much more tired after swimming than running. This prevents swimming from being an ideal fat-burning exercise that we can do continuously.
Bicycle
Riding outdoors is one of the most fun and fat burning exercises. But there are two major disadvantages. The first is costly; we need to buy our own equipment (bicycle, helmet). Secondly, we need special bike paths for cycling in the city. Cycling on normal motorways or highways in the city is dangerous. This is especially true in large cities. Therefore, special bike paths are a must. Unfortunately, in many metropolitan areas, the number of these cycling routes is very small. For this reason, cycling outdoors in metropolitan cities is no longer a practical exercise that can be done 2-3 times a week, but rather becomes a fun occasional weekend.
Stationary Bicycle
The stationary bike, which we can see in almost every gym, is a medium-weight tool. Since body weight does not get on the legs when using a stationary bike, we need to keep our pace at 70-90 rpm (which is very difficult to do for a long time) in order to burn fat. The biggest drawback is that it is monotonous and boring. Stationary cycling is a reliable exercise alternative for the elderly and those with new surgery (leg, knee, etc.) who are in the process of rehabilitation.
Stair Climber
It is a good fat burning exercise. Operates legs and hips very effectively. Those with knee problems should stay away. It is difficult to perform long-term exercises such as rowing equipment. Therefore, it is more suitable to use with other aerobic activities.
Group Courses
There are aerobics, stepper, pilates, yoga, zumba, salsa style group classes in many gyms. You can decide for yourself whether they are aerobic or not. We learned the rules above. But let me tell you this. Yoga and pilates are definitely not aerobic. Aerobic step is definitely aerobic. Dance classes such as zumba and salsa can be classified as aerobic or anaerobic depending on whether they are continuous, rhythmic or long-term. I recommend you to do basic activities such as jogging, elliptical, jumping rope as aerobic exercise. If you have time, you can also take part in fun group lessons. But do not count these group classes as aerobic exercise.
Calorie Burning Potential
Let us summarize the fat burning potential and convenience of the aerobic exercises we have seen so far in a table:
Here are a few points about the table:
The table shows the estimated calorie values burned by three people weighing 57 kg, 70 kg and 84 kg when performing different types of exercise for one hour.
These calorie values are taken from a study by Harvard Medical School and are approximate and useful only for your opinion. The actual amount of calories burned varies according to many factors such as weight, age, fat rate, exercise tempo of the person doing sports.
Jogging, walking, elliptical, stationary cycling and cycling are exercises that we can do for a long time (> 30 min).
Exercises such as skipping rope, rowing equipment and climbing equipment cannot be performed for a long time. However, they can be combined with other exercises to transform them into effective fat burning activity. For example, an effective cardio program of 30 minutes in the form of 10 min skipping, 10 min running and 10 min rowing conditioner can be performed without a break.
Swimming can be positioned in the middle of exercises such as jogging, walking and jumping rope, rowing equipment for long-term feasibility.
In terms of convenience, we do not need any machine jogging, walking, skipping rope comes at the top. Exercises that require equipment such as elliptical bikes and stationary bicycles that can be easily found in many gyms can be positioned in the middle. Exercises where we need equipment such as rowing equipment, stair climbing equipment, which are rare in gyms, or exercises requiring special facilities such as swimming pool and bicycle path can be positioned at the bottom.
How Do I Do It?
My favorite aerobic exercises are running, elliptical, jumping rope, rowing equipment and walking. Most of the time I combine these exercises with each other. There are several reasons for this:
After a long time (45-60 min) to do a single exercise becomes boring.
Since each exercise exercises different muscles, we are doing a more complete workout.
When we do an exercise for a long time, our body gets used to this exercise very quickly and starts to burn less fat. To prevent this, it is a good way to constantly change exercise and confuse our bodies.
So, how can we combine this exercise?
I often combine easy exercises with difficult ones and do them on a rotating basis. For example:
15 min skipping + 45 min running (8-10 km / h)
15 min rowing conditioner (fast) + 30 min elliptical (fast)
45 min running (8-10 km / h) + 15 min walking on the treadmill (15% slope + 5.5 km / h)
15 min skipping rope (fast) + 15 min rowing conditioner (fast)
In addition, I love to walk outdoors for 60 min if I have the opportunity.
As a result, we have certain materials. By sticking to the basic rules, you can combine the exercises to your liking and create your own schedule.
The real trick
Today we have met aerobic exercises, the king of fat burning. We have seen why we need to do aerobic exercise, what conditions should be provided for an activity to be accepted as aerobic exercise, different types of aerobic exercise and their comparisons with each other. In short, we have come a long way. But don't think we've finished aerobic exercises. We haven't seen the real trick of burning fat yet. Well, can't we just tell them all in one article? You better try to intimidate what we have learned today and, as a great thinker says, devam stay tuned ”…
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