Losing weight through exercise and building muscle mass at the same time is possible with the right combination of workout programs that combine aerobic exercise along with some weight training. It also requires the proper nutrition of course. Burning calories might be the immediate goal, but the body still needs proper nutrition to replenish the lean muscle mass that is broken down during physical activity. However, there is not much accurate information on what the best way to burn calories actually is and instead consumers are bombarded with fad diets and supplements that promise no-effort weight loss. Of course, there is no magic way to lose weight without exerting some effort and there is only thing you really need to do to lose weight is to burn more calories than you consume and the best way to burn calories is through exercise and physical activity.
Although the body does need to burn off 3,500 calories in order to lose one pound of weight, if the caloric intake is reduced too much the body will react by storing calories as fat in order to protect itself from the “starvation diet” it is being fed. This means eating healthy low fat, low calorie foods is the safest way to burn calories is through exercise and physical activity. The two main regimens for burning calories are aerobic exercise and strength training. Any type of aerobic exercise is good, and jogging, walking, swimming, bicycling and jump roping, will all help the body burn calories as it strengthens the cardiovascular system. An exercise program that combines an aerobic workout with some strength training like weight lifting delivers a very effective way to burn calories. Weight lifting is a great way to build lean muscle mass and muscle burns more calories than body fat.
Any physical activity that puts the body in constant, repetitive motion will help build muscle, and other types of physical activities like walking and jogging will help build muscle mass too. Different activities burn calories at different rates though, and the amount of calories burned depends on the intensity and length of each different exercise. If you choose activities that you actually enjoy doing, you will probably be more consistent and continue to exercise on a regular basis. When it comes to weight loss and weight training, there really is no magical quick fix that does all of the work. All that is really required is to burn off more calories than are consumed. If you can burn just 500 calories per day, it will add up to 3,500 calories and translates to one pound of actual weight loss per week.