Dumb exercise question.

Gradeafancy

I'm trying to lose about 75lbs all together, but 20lbs is my first goal to lose by March 12th (I leave for a big trip the next day).
Should I be focusing on mainly cardio to drop this weight or is it ok to do cardio and pilates/yoga?
Right now, I'm walking for about 45 minutes during the day broken up into 3-15 minute breaks. I try and wake up early to do zumba in the mornings and sometimes I do pilates at night, but not always.

What should I be doing?
Thanks.

juberry

Lots of cardio and can you try some weight training? It boosts metabolism, burns calories and does a whole lot more. But mostly cardio.

bcoronel

no question is a dumb question here. honestly. but cardio speeds up your metabolism, so it's definitely where you want to start.

jmanthei98

I agree with juberry. It should be cardio with some strength training. The strength training helps build muscle, and in turn, the muscle burns fat! Another benefit is that when the weight does come off, you should be nice and toned, too! That's the mistake I made the first time. I was skinny, but flabby in some areas. Trying to change that. :-)

tmf109

First, it's not a dumb question! Second, cardio is great for burning calories, but if you add weight training you will burn more throughout the day. My trainer had me do weight training, then cardio, followed by toning (abs, arms, etc). Pilates is really great for toning muscles, but you often don't see the results until you've lost the weight.

NoAdditives

Weight training boosts your metabolism and keeps it going for longer, but cardio burns more fat during the exercise itself. Ideally, you should be doing both. For the cardio you should be doing 30 minutes of high intensity (running) exercise, or interval training. Longer workouts that are low intensity (walking) are less productive.

simplynila

A healthy mix of both would be best. While cardio is GREAT, weight training also burns fat too. It revs up your metabolism in ways that only cardio cant. It doesn't have to be much but 2-3 times a week would be a great place to start!

nicoleslaw01

Cardio burns the most fat, I lost 20lbs in 4 months by doing at least half an hour to an hour of cardio every day. The ellipticle was my BFF, now I have advanced to the Spin bike and have seen even more results on my core. Weight lifting is always good to mix in as well, as juberry said, a little weight lifting boosts metabolism. The yoga and pilates are always a plus, its a good way to tone and stretch at the same time, you should always stretch :-)

ThePrestige

Cardio is good for just losing weight simply because it burns a large amount of calories. I would suggest adding some type of resistance training (I say resistance training because I feel like "weight" training scares some people), if you are really looking for body transformation. Calisthenics like push ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, and body weight squats are a good place to start. I don't have any experience with pilates so I cannot comment on that.

CaptainSmedley

You might want to make your cardio sessions longer. In 15 minutes you are just getting warmed up. Cardio only burns caloroes while you are actively doing it. Agree with Juberry, you should add weight training as weight training continues to burn calories for some time after you are done. Muscle tissue actually burns calories on its own so to the extent you can increase it all the better. Interval cardio training is also better than a steady pace. It foreces you to constantly stress and recover.

Meg28

Cardio! Weight training is great and has tons of benefits, but nothing beats cardio when it comes to your heart and metabolism. Try to do the walking without the breaks and mix it up with perhaps the elliptical (very forgiving on the joints) or biking (even more forgiving).

Gradeafancy

Ok so lots of cardio and by weight training, just like squats with weights and that kind of thing? Sorry i'm clueless, lol. Any good videoes on Netflix for this?

thanks for all the replies. I'm really feeling dedicated to losing weight this time around and want to exercise

Gradeafancy

Oh the walking for 15 minutes 3x is because I walk for half of my lunch (30 minutes) and each break I get. Once in the morning and once in the afternoon. They won't let me combine them and I feel like if I keep sitting in my office, I'll just snack away. I do zumba also in the mornings before work.

carrietobias

Cardio and Weigh training and a little yoga/pilates to mix it up!!
Good luck!

willhare

It's definitely not a dumb question at all.

Initially, as long as you're working out in some way and you're eating a healthy diet you'll lose weight. In the long term, though, you're going to need to build muscle. You'll want to be toned when the fat burns off, and you'll want to increase your metabolism to help keep the weight off. From my experience, doing more circuit training-style workouts will helps build muscle, while increasing your cardio endurance in the process. Best of luck!