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To lose 0.5kg a week you need to burn 500 calories a day more than you eat. The easiest way to do this is to cut out high calorie foods from your diet, however exercise is an excellent complement to healthy eating. But what exactly constitutes 500 calories worth of exercise? The amount of calories you burn during exercise is dependent on you age, weight, height and gender, however it is directly related to your exertion levels.
Below is a list of exercises that burn 500 calories for an average person that weighs 70kgs.
- General Aerobics – 70 minutes;
- Running moderate – 45 minutes;
- Running rigorous – 35 minutes;
- Cycling moderate – 55 minutes;
- Cycling rigorous – 45 minutes;
- Walking moderate – 120 minutes;
- Basketball – 55 minutes;
- Tennis – 60 minutes;
- Swimming freestyle – 55 minutes;
- Rowing – 60 minutes ;
- Golf – 110 minutes.
You can then start to work out what the best exercises are for you to lose weight. For instance you may enjoy jogging around your block, however you can only do this for 20 minutes and therefore are not burning enough calories. In contrast you may find it a lot easier to cycle for 45 minutes or play a game of tennis for an hour. It is a good idea to try a variety of activities to see which ones you enjoy the most and are able to sustain for the length of time that allows you to burn 500 or more calories in one session, therefore increasing weight loss. Also remember that you should build up to this amount of exercise.
You should always exercise within yourself and build up as you go. You do not want to burn yourself out. It is also great to set goals for yourself. If for instance you start cycling, set some distance and time goals. In this way you can see yourself improving to help keep you motivated.
The hardest part getting into an exercise routine is just starting. You have to keep reminding yourself of how good you will feel when you are finished and the weight loss benefits of your hard work.
Also exercising with a friend helps out enormously as one person often keeps the other person motivated!