Both fat-burning and cardio zones offer unique benefits and can be tailored to individual fitness goals. While the fat-burning zone is effective for reducing body fat and improving metabolic health, the cardio zone is superior for enhancing cardiovascular fitness and overall heart health.
While a greater percentage of calories burnt might be from fat stores in this zone, the total calorie burn might be lower compared to exercising in the cardio zone due to the lower intensity. In practice, a balanced workout regimen often incorporates both zones to optimize results.
Both cardio and weight training can effectively burn fat, but they have different mechanisms. Cardio burns more calories during the activity, while weight training boosts metabolism and builds lean muscle mass, leading to long-term fat burning. Combining both types of exercise maximizes fat loss results.
The amount of weight you can lose doing 30 minutes of cardio daily depends on factors like diet, intensity, and consistency. On average, a person burns 200-400 calories per 30-minute session, which can result in about 1-2 pounds of fat loss per week when combined with a calorie deficit.
Aerobic exercise includes any activity that raises your heart rate such as walking, dancing, running or swimming. This can also include doing housework, gardening and playing with your children. Other types of exercise such as strength training, Pilates and yoga can also help you lose belly fat.
Cardio's role in helping you shed pounds is burning calories. The more you exercise, the more calories you'll burn. If you're trying to lose weight, you should aim for doing cardio at least five days per week for a total of at least 250 minutes (4 hours, 10 minutes) each week.
Run at a pace of 8 mph for 60 minutes during your cardio workout. Running for a whole hour at a speed of 8 mph burns around 1,000 calories if you weigh 200 pounds (91 kg). If you weigh less but still want to keep your time at the gym around an hour long, you may need to run a bit faster.
If you are training for a 5K or a marathon, you will want to do cardiovascular training first for maximum performance. If you want to increase your muscle strength, do strength training first when your muscles are not fatigued from cardio.
According to Gam, you can—and should—do light cardio, like walking, every day; however, engaging in moderate-to-high intensity cardio seven days a week is not advised. “I would recommend everyone, even the fittest athletes, be taking at least one rest day per week for recovery,” says Gam.
Cardio is a great way to burn calories, but it isn't the only way to get rid of fat. If you're looking for a quick fix, cardio will help you lose weight by burning more calories than your body consumes. However, this method alone won't necessarily lead to long-lasting results.
Is Just Walking Enough Cardio? The fitness experts we spoke to agree: Yes, walking can totally “count” as your cardio workout if you format your walking workout to be challenging enough for your body. To maintain a healthy fitness level, try to walk at least three days a week.
No matter what type of diet you follow, to lose weight you need to burn more calories than you take in each day. For most people with overweight, cutting about 500 calories a day is a good place to start.
This simple 1,200-calorie meal plan is specially tailored to help you feel energized and satisfied while eating fewer calories so you can lose a healthy 1 to 2 pounds per week.
That plan is called the 30-30-30 rule. It's a simple but catchy idea that encourages you to eat 30 grams of protein within 30 minutes of waking up and then get 30 minutes of low-intensity exercise. The 30-30-30 rule now has millions of followers on TikTok.
The best types of belly fat exercise combines resistance exercise (such as strength training) and cardiovascular exercise. Resistance exercise can help maintain your muscle mass and your glucose metabolism (the way your body processes sugar and uses it for fuel). This is important for managing your weight.
You might start with five minutes a day the first week, and then increase your time by five minutes each week until you reach at least 30 minutes. For even more health benefits, aim for at least 60 minutes of physical activity most days of the week.