How to Lose Weight Exercising for 30 Minutes a Day

How to Lose Weight and Look Glowing by Exercising for 30 Minutes a Day

Most of us work around a daily schedule that is so time-constrained you barely have enough time to come up for air. If you're not dashing to the office you're hunched in front of your PC; if you're not at your desk you're rushing to pick the kids or a bag of groceries. So really, even that half an hour we commit to getting into shape is quite a sacrifice. But if we're not careful, that 30 minute timeslot could end up entirely wasted with us either maintaining our body weight or even regressing without knowing it. The only way to benefit from a training session at the gym or elsewhere is to ensure that more calories are burnt than have been ingested. If this is not happening then we may well channel those precious minutes into something else. So check your exercise regime; ask yourself if your routine is helping you burn enough calories to make a difference on your waistline. Ask yourself...

Should I change my walking routine?

If you've been faithfully walking for half an hour every day for a while now and are not seeing any changes on the weighing scale, maybe it's time you tweaked your motions. Up the intensity by incorporating more pronounced arm movement, increasing your tempo or elongating your stride. It's easy to lull yourself into a comfortable pace when walking; the key is to apply your mind and keep your body tight. Ensure that you feel the strain in your calves and hamstrings as you walk. If you want to feel it a bit more in your upper body, you could incorporate light weights. Interspersing your walk with lunges will help you put additional strain on your leg muscles, helping you burn more within that 30 minute window than you did before.

Try circuit training or interval training

Incorporating any one of these modes of working out is guaranteed to lift you out of your weight loss plateau and increase your gains significantly. Here is an example of how you can work interval training into your limited exercise time. Start off with a light jog or brisk walk for five minutes. Once you're warmed up, launch into a set of 50-100 jumping jacks or jump rope for about 5 minutes. Ease off into a light jog as you catch your breath then do another set of jumping jacks. Alternate in this manner until your half an hour is up. To really work your body and maximize calorie burn, you can mix these cardiovascular exercises with strength training routines in what is known as circuit training. Using the above template, you could throw in a few sets of push-ups and sit-ups. Research has shown that increased muscle mass leads to a higher metabolic rate which results in more lost calories.

Try weight training

Since your time is highly constrained and going out of your way to a gym might not be feasible, consider buying a few dumbbells and using them to do some light weight training. With these you can develop a simple daily routine that hits all major muscle groups in your body. You can do a few sets of bicep curls, a couple of shoulder press sets and some sets of squats or lunges early in the morning before you shower and begin your day.

Author Bio- Latasri is a fitness and Wellness enthusiast who likes to share her views and secrets on diet, exercise and weight loss. Besides she also writes TRX training review and makes available Bistro MD coupon codes on her blog.