If you are looking to lose weight fast, and improve your overall health and wellbeing in the process, there is nothing more beneficial or advisable than regular exercise. Most of the 'flab to fab' stories did not just involve weight loss pills, supplements or diets, as ads will have you believe. Some form of exercise is invariably involved in losing weight and gaining good health.

The Kinds of Exercises

An effective weekly exercise routine should generally consist of three kinds of exercises: cardiovascular exercises such as brisk walking, jogging or cycling, muscle-building and strengthening (generally involving some form of weight training), and stretching and flexibility. They each offer their own set of advantages for someone who wants to lose weight. Cardiovascular exercises will increase your heart-rate while you are exercising, and burn excess calories in the process. Muscle building and strengthening will improve your BMR, or the rate at which your body burns calories, since muscles need far more energy than fat. Stretching and flexibility will improve your posture and range of motion, and this will protect you from the risk of injury while exercising.

20 Minutes of Cardio

As far as cardiovascular exercises go, to burn a significant amount of calories you need to keep going for a spell of at least 20 minutes. Short bursts of exercise are not as effective for slimming as a longer and continuous spell. If you haven't exercised for a long time, start with a brisk walk of 20-30 minutes, and then you can gradually replace it with a jog over the next several weeks.

The Right Way to Begin

If you haven't been physically very active for a few years, it is best to begin by consulting a physician and discussing your health, and which exercises will be most suitable for you.

Variety is the Key

The good news is that the human body adapts very fast. So, while you will see yourself getting better and faster and stronger very quickly, don't fall into the trap of setting a fixed and rigid daily exercise routine. Once your body adapts to a certain routine in 1-2 weeks, it will be able to go through it with less effort. The result is that you will be burning less-calories for exactly the same workout and your muscle development will stagnate. Once this happens, your exercise will not lead to any further weight loss. The key is variety and putting your body through new and higher levels of challenges.

Give Yourself a Break!

The period of rest following an exercise routine is extremely important, because that is when the muscles repair, grow and become stronger. So, if you are over-enthusiastic and don't give yourself enough recovery time, instead of achieving strong and toned muscles and faster weight loss, you will be risking fatigue, burn out and injury. Typically, beginners should allow 2-3 days of complete rest from serious exercise every week.

If you want to lose weight fast with some exercise, it is not necessary to wait around till you find the time to hit the gym. Even adopting a more active general lifestyle will help to start you off on your weight loss goals. For instance, take the stairs instead of the elevator, and if you have to go short distances, walk briskly rather than pulling out your vehicle. You could even pick up a sport you enjoy, for the weekends

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