At some point in time, people have wondered which cardio work out is better. To answer it simply, both low and high intensity exercise routines will burn off excess body fat. Which then is the best way to burn off the most body fat.
Experts discovered that during intense exercises, the body burns glycogen, which is a form of carbohydrates that are the body stores in the liver and muscles to be used as energy fuels. During low intensity exercises, the body burns a lot of fat.
Now, you may be wondering, "Why are there still so many fat people around?" Even though you see them doing low intensity exercise routines, it still puzzles you how that can be.
The scientists were correct about the fact that the body burns more body fat during low intensity activities such as walking or swimming. It is during high intensity exercises such as running when the body burns more calories. Even if some of the calories that are burnt are from glycogen, there are also a lot of fat calories burned.
To explain it further, when your supply of glycogen runs low, the carbohydrates from the food you eat will in turn be converted into glycogen to replenish the supply, which won't be converted to body fat even when they remain unused for energy.
High intensity cardio work outs will pump up your metabolism even after your workout is over. Your body will keep going burning body fat hours after you have finished the exercise. This effect is virtually nonexistent in low intensity cardio or aerobic exercises.
You body therefore will increasingly burn up more calories during and after a high intensity cardio exercise that it will with low intensity workouts.
To get the most benefits from low and high intensity cardio workouts, mix high intensity exercises into your low intensity cardio workout by doing some interval training. You may walk for 5 minutes or so, then run or jog for another 5 minutes or so. Then, do brisk walking again until you've caught your breath and then burst into a sprint for a minute before walking again. From this level, just alternate your running and walking for the succeeding 15 minutes until you have completed your scheduled workout activity.
What's best about cardio is the fact that the more you do it, the more energy you can have. Cardio exercises help you to burn calories, while it keeps your energy levels optimal. If you have never tried interval cardio training before, you must give it a try If you are fond of exercise, you'll discover that cardio the best way to supercharge your energy and keep your body in tip-top shape. If you are just beginning, you'll wish to go slow and keep your cardio exercise in control - for it is also very tempting to over exert yourself.
© 2010 Athena Goodlight