Which Type of Exercise Is Best for Fat Loss?

I often get asked about the type of exercise you should do to burn more fat, flatten your stomach and hips, and to look and feel better.

If you categorize any exercise, it will generally fall primarily into one of the main categories:

1. Cardio-vascular exercise
2. Strength training

And I would add a third category for fat loss:

3. Nutrition

Lets now take a detailed look into all three categories to determine which one you need to focus on.

Cardio-vascular Exercise

Cardio-vascular exercise - or simply, cardio - is anything that elevates the heart rate for a continued period.

Popular examples include running, jogging, swimming, cycling, aerobics classes, Zumba, walking or dancing.

The good news is that cardio can burn a large amount of fat, among other positive health benefits including heart and lung health.

The problem, however, is that once the cardio stops, so does the majority of fat burning. For a beginner, this is fine, as a small amount of cardio will result in large returns.

However once you build a reasonable amount of cardio fitness, the benefits continue at a rate of diminishing returns. After a while - several months - you will need to do more and more cardio to continue getting benefits.

In today's time-poor society, this is not an ideal way to stay healthy in the long term.

Strength Training

Strength training can include anything that provides resistance. For example, weight machines, body weight, Pilates and calisthenics.

When you perform such exercise repeatedly, your body will build more muscle. Muscle tissue, even when it is inactive, requires calories to maintain its current form.

Basically this means that muscle requires more calories to survive. This results in a higher caloric burn (What fitness professionals call your basal metabolic rate), which in turn burns higher amounts of body fat.

This is my preferred form of exercise for fat loss for that reason - it burns more fat and permanently elevates your metabolism.

Nutrition

Nutrition is by far the most important of the three. There is a saying that goes, "You can NOT out-train a poor diet."

This means that no matter how many hours per week you train, if your diet is not clean and consisting of the right foods, you will NOT be able to create permanent and long-term change.

In summary, the most important form of exercise is that which is made up of resistance exercise.

However keep in mind, that no matter how hard you train, if your diet is made up of the wrong foods, you will not progress.

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Eggs - Contrary to Popular Belief One of Our Healthiest Foods

Eggs have long been linked to high cholesterol levels, even while admitting that they provide numerous health benefits. But tests have shown that contrary to what many so-called diet experts contend they do not have a detrimental impact on levels of cholesterol. Things to take caution of would be, as with any food, more is not better, and the way they are prepared. In other words, if they're fried in bacon grease, don't blame the egg.

But the logic would be: if eggs are high in cholesterol (they do, but it's not now thought to be high as previously believed), and cholesterol is bad for your heart health, doesn't it follow that we should avoid eggs? As with most issues concerning diet, it isn't that clear-cut. First, it is largely an individual thing as to how much cholesterol can be consumed without adverse effects.

Next is where recent findings have thrown new light on the subject. No one disputes the fact that eggs are an excellent source of key nutrients and high-quality protein. They are one of the few natural foods that are a source of vitamin D, and are abundant in B vitamins, all that are now linked to help prevent heart disease. So a good portion of the negative effects that cholesterol has on the heart could be offset by the nutritional aspects of the egg.

A test done at the University of Alberta, Canada recently found that the yolks of eggs have as many antioxidant properties as that of an apple. We know the importance of antioxidants in helping to control inflammation, which assists in heart disease prevention. So if you limit your intake of eggs to one a day, and if you have to cook them in something use a small amount of olive oil, you will get the benefits of eggs without the bad cholesterol effects. It is also recommended that for those with diabetes or heart ailments, the number should drop to no more than three eggs a week.

So what are some of those nutritional benefits? Here are a few that are not that well publicized:

1. Sulphur content. This promotes healthy hair and nails.

2. Choline. A member of the vitamin B family, this is necessary for helping to regulate the cardiovascular and nervous systems.

3. Lutein and zeaxanthin. These are antioxidants that help prevent diseases in the eyes, such as cataracts and macular degeneration.

4. Vitamin D. One of the few foods that naturally occurring vitamin D, about 24.5 grams worth in an average egg.

5. Other vitamins besides the Bs. Copper, folate, iodine, manganese, magnesium, potassium, selenium, thiamine, zinc and iron.

One other fact about eggs that we should take to heart: avoid the eggs sold as Omega-3s. It is not where you want to get your omega-3, as they usually come from hens that are fed poor quality sources. Instead opt for the free-range organic eggs. But it is obvious from the benefits we get from eggs that they should be a regular part of our diet. Like anything that is healthy, just don't overdo it.

Eggs are a food that we have always assumed to be high in cholesterol, and that is something we are always looking to control. This is a food that has so many health benefits, including as we point out in the article it helps keep the eyes healthy. Rich Carroll is a writer and health enthusiast living in London.

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