Whether you are just thinking about losing weight or have been on the journey for some time now, this question continues to come up. What is the best workout to lose weight?When you are just beginning to workout the best exercise to do is really simple. It is to do what you will do. The important thing is not WHAT you should do;  it is finding something you WILL do. It should be something you enjoy or at least not hate.

What is the best workout to lose weight?

Ok you say you hate everything and enjoy no type of exercise and I get that. In this case you need to try out a number of different types of exercise programs for short amounts of time to reprogram your thoughts around exercise. Tell yourself you only have to do 5 minutes. That’s it just 5 minutes. If after trying it for 5 minutes you want to stop then stop. Repeat this for at least 4 days. Then begin to slowly add on 5 more minutes. This can be walking, dancing, kickboxing, riding a bike, etc. If you have a hard time even starting 5 minutes turn on some music and just dance. There are no rules here the important thing is to get moving. The best workout to lose weight is the one that you will do!

Maybe you have been doing exercise for awhile and you just want to know which is the best workout to lose weight cardio or weight training and which one burns more calories. The easy, non-committal answer is it just depends on your own particular body type and your specific fitness goals. It is important to understand the benefits of each type of exercise so that you may maximize your success so here are a few tips and information.

Burn Calories NOW with Cardio!

Exercise sessions that focus solely around cardio activities can be very valuable. This type of exercise regimen can burn through calories fast and easily. Cardio exercise burns more calories than weight training during the period you are exercising. There are some types of cardio that will keep burning calories longer than just the session like HIIT, or Interval training, but for the most part when you are done with your cardio workout you are done burning calories. So, the key to losing weight is burning enough calories during the session to combine with your nutrition throughout the day. One thing to keep in mind, cardio can be hard and draining on the body so more than likely you will need to take in large amounts of good calories to be able to keep exercise levels intense. You will also have to gradually do longer or more intense sessions to keep hitting higher calorie burns.

Burn Calories LONGER with weight training!

Workout routines that center around weight training can be valuable even for those of us not wishing to bulk up. Just because you are lifting weights does not mean you aren’t going to lose weight. Weight training exercise has been shown to burn calories much longer after exercise is over compared to cardio training. So, even after you finish that last rep and hit the showers your body is still burning through calories. There are a couple things to note when starting a new weight training program. You will typically feel hungrier and that is because your body is needing more energy to repair itself. See when you do weight training you are actually putting small tears in your muscles as you work them. You may also see a little gain on the scale and this is due to your body retaining water to protect your muscles and joints in the repair process.

Mix it Up and Do Both!

What is the best workout to lose weight? I suggest you mix it up and do both. You can alternate days by doing cardio one day and weight training the next. Or you can alternate styles in one workout session by doing an interval training session. For example you can do push ups then jumping jacks then go to squats and jogging in place. This gives you the best of both worlds and is the best way to exercise to lose weight.

Just remember that the best workout to lose weight is whatever form of exercise you will do on a consistent basis. When you feel the need to increase or change up your exercise think about adding in both cardio and  strength training to what you are currently doing. If you need some suggestions on where to begin join my Journey in Wellness community here on Facebook. It is a group for women to provide them with a place to