When it comes to finding the right weight loss exercise program many people make one huge mistake. They think solely in terms of doing cardiovascular exercises and either don’t do enough weight training, or worse, don’t do any weight training at all.

Some people mistakenly think that they want to burn the fat and the only way to do that is to do tons of cardio. And of course, you do need a full cardio workout in your overall exercise plan, but if you neglect the weight training aspect of your workouts you will really be shortchanging yourself and your overall fitness goals.

A lot of women also make the mistake of thinking that they can only lift very light weights and / or only do a few repetitions of each exercise or they will get bulky. They are so afraid of getting big that they neglect this extremely important aspect of working out.

Let’s set the record straight, while it’s true that women have both estrogen and testosterone in their bodies naturally, the levels of testosterone are only about one seventh of what men have. For a woman to “accidentally” get bulky just by lifting weights would be impossible. The women body builders you see don’t get that way on accident, they work hard at it and treat is like what it is… a full time job.

So, make sure you lift weights as part of your routine. The more lean muscle mass you have the more calories your body will burn all day every day, no matter what you are doing. That is a great side effect. Having nice muscle tone will also make you look trimmer and slimmer, no matter what your weight is.

So you will look thinner at 125 lbs if you have a lot of toned muscle than you would if you didn’t have good muscle tone. When first starting out (after you get your doctors ok) find someone to teach you how to use the proper form, then start with a weight that makes it challenging to finish a full set, one set is between 8 – 12 individual repetitions of the exercise.

The general rule of thumb is that you should be able to finish the set, but just barely. That is how you know that you are using the proper amount of weight. Once you can easily do all reps of one exercise at a certain weight, move up to a higher weight. At first you may not be able to do a whole set at the higher weight, that’s ok. Just do what you can and build on that.

Make each repetition slow and controlled and don’t forget to use proper breathing techniques. If you have never done this before you really should have someone show you the proper techniques in order to avoid injuries.

To get the most out of all your weight loss exercise plans, make sure that you eat right, get plenty of water and rest and incorporate a full weight training routine. You won’t get bulky but you will burn more calories and that may just make you hot.

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Many of us have very busy lives, even though we know we need to lose weight, and we are willing to do the work, we still only have limited time. For that reason you need to focus on the best exercise to lose weight so you can get the maximum results in the shortest amount of time.

Workout routines are usually broken up into two main components: cardiovascular (Cardio) and weight training. Both forms of exercise offer great benefits to your body and your overall health.

Cardio is a great way to get your heart rate up which can lead to a healthier heart and lung capacity. Weight training will help you build muscle tone and can lead to increased metabolism rates and a stronger body. Effectively combining the best elements of both forms of exercises is usually a good way to go.

But the downside to that approach is that it takes more time. If you go to a gym, any gym, you will see people who spend 20 -30 minutes on a treadmill, elliptical or exercise bike. Then they will go over to the weight machines or free weights and spend another 30 or so minutes lifting weights.

There is nothing wrong with that type of routine if: you have time to do it consistently, and you don’t find it boring. If either one of these issues is an issue for you than what you need to do is concentrate only on the weight training.

Why? Because you can get a cardio benefit out of the weight training too. This actually can happen in two ways, for one thing, if you do each repetition in a slow and controlled manner (which is what you should be doing anyway) than you will find that you are sweating and breathing heavy. In other words, you are getting a cardio workout.

But, unlike many forms of cardio exercises, you are also benefiting from the weight training too. You are building a lot of lean muscle tone. That will help you appear thinner since the muscles will “hold you in” kind of like a girdle, but more importantly, the more lean muscle mass you have the higher your metabolism will burn.

That increased metabolic rate isn’t going to just happen when you are at the gym working out, it will be happening all day everyday! Think of what that will do to you to your weight loss efforts if you are actually burning more calories every single day no matter what you are doing (yes, even while you sleep or sit on your rear on the couch).

So, if you want to know what the best exercise to lose weight is, it is a combination of cardio and weight training. If you need to shorten the time you exercise each week but don’t want to miss out on any of the benefits than your best bet is to do weight training. As I explained above, if you do it right you will get a cardio benefit too and that will last long after you leave the gym for the day.

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