There are countless ways to burn calories and lose weight. A lot of them are easy to do but only take a few minutes each day, such as walking up stairs instead of taking the elevator or walking to the corner store instead of driving.
Why You Should Pick: Taking the longer way helps you get your heart rate up and burn extra calories with each step.
Slow vs. Fast Twitch Muscle Fibers
Some exercises will only target specific muscle fibers, meaning that only one kind of weight loss is going to happen. Slow twitch muscles are the muscles used for long-distance running or swimming, while fast twitch muscles are the ones that provide quick bursts of speed and power. The thing is these muscle fibers work in conjunction with one another. They can’t be developed exclusively.
In Other Words: If you want to lose weight you will have to do a mix of exercises that will develop both types of muscle fibers.
Muscle Retention
In order to lose weight, most people have to cut back on calories . When you do this, your body may burn fat but it also burns muscle as well. Muscle helps raise your metabolism and keeps you from feeling tired throughout the day….
So what is the right kind of exercise, then? Is it running, or swimming, or weightlifting? The answer is that the right kind of exercise will build up both slow and fast twitch muscles. It will also be aerobic so it gets your heart rate up and increases blood flow to help burn fat.
For example: walking on an incline treadmill gradually speeds you up while still letting you walk at a comfortable pace. Walking uphill will increase your heart rate, and walking on an inclined treadmill increases that speed so you get more of the benefits from this type of exercise.
If You Don’t Like Exercise: If you hate the idea of exercising, then challenge yourself to take the stairs instead of using the elevator or escalator for just one day. Gradually increase how often you do this until it becomes a habit, and then add to that some other exercise like biking or swimming.