Many people think that it is necessary to exercise at an extreme level in order to get good results from exercise.  This is not true.  It is especially untrue regarding cardiovascular exercise.  When you know the true story, you will likely change your approach to exercise intensity.

From a minimalist standpoint, it is only necessary to exercise three days a week, for 20 continuous minutes, keeping your heart rate and your target exercise zone*.  Engaging in exercise of this intensity and duration will provide you with a cardiovascular training effect.  In other words, this is what is necessary for your heart to get healthy.  You can exercise at higher intensities if it is your goal to improve your peak athletic performance. But for those simply looking to improve their overall health, the above program is sufficient.

But if I exercise at a higher intensity, or for a longer duration, won"t I lose weight faster? The answer is yes and no.  Yes, you will burn more calories if you exercise at a higher intensity and/or a longer duration.  The problem is that performing cardiovascular activity, for long, intense periods is excessively tedious and painful.  Most people will not continue exercise programs designed after this fashion.  The result is termination of the exercise program which defeats any lifelong health goals.

Additionally, the amount of extra calories that you burn performing exercise at an intense pace or for a long duration is not as significant as you may think.  For example, if you are exercising for 30 minutes, at a moderate pace, you're probably burning 150 to 250 calories per session.  If instead, you bump up your intensity to a point where you are having trouble breathing, your muscles are on fire, and every minute seems like the last minute you could possibly continue to exercise, then you are probably burning somewhere in the neighborhood of 350 to 450 calories per session.  You're essentially burning 200 extra calories per exercise session.  Burning 200 extra calories each session will certainly help you to achieve your weight loss goals faster, but it's probably not nearly as fast as you may think. 

1 pound of fat is equivalent to approximately 4000 calories.  This means that it will take you 20 exercise sessions before you burn one extra pound of fat.  Considering that you'll be working out at an intensity level that causes you to want to die each and every exercise session, it hardly seems worth the extra 200 calories per session.  Once again, your likelihood of continuing an exercise program at this level of intensity is highly unlikely.

The same reasoning can be applied to cardiovascular exercise performed for long duration. The difference in calories burned between a half an hour exercise session and a one-hour session is probably in the neighborhood of 200 to 300 calories.  Once again, you're looking at upwards of 20 days before you lose one extra pound of fat. Spending 20 to 30 minutes on a treadmill is difficult enough but an hour is downright miserable.

95% of all weight-loss programs fail.  The primary reason that they fail is because they are not sustainable.  Exercise, diet, and lifestyle changes have to be permanent.  You need to continue with your program for the rest of your life.  Don't doom your exercise program to failure by making it more difficult than necessary.

 

*Target heart rate calculation: subtract your age from 220.  Multiply your answer by .60 and .80.  This will give you your target heart rate training range in beats per minute.