Time Matters When It Comes to Getting Fit
by Nan Kappeler (topic expert: fitness)

With so many new cardio machines, total body training classes, and a variety of other activities available to get you fit, it's often hard to decide on what exercise will help you have the best sweat session. Sometimes there's so much confusion and choices of what to do, it's no wonder we simply end up climbing onto the same stair-stepper machine every morning, or walk the exact same route each day. The end result is often a comfortable routine with little or no change in fitness levels or weight.

For decades, we've known that in order to achieve an increased level of fitness, including weight loss, cardiovascular exercises are crucial. Not only are these aerobic exercises such as running or cycling essential for a healthy heart, lungs, reducing stress and tension, but for burning calories and fat. Medical professionals have told us for years, that no matter whether we ran or walked a one mile, the result was 100 calories burned. We were told the advantage to running versus walking or swimming was it took less time, which we now know is old school information.

Fast forward to 2008. Researchers have learned that the harder you exercise during a period of time, the more calories you burn. That's because for every liter of oxygen you consume, five calories are burned. "When you run, you consume more oxygen then walking," says David Swain, a PhD in exercise physiology and director of the Wellness Institute and Research Center at Old Dominion University. "The new research doesn't mean that walking burns any less calories than before, it just means that walkers might have to walk a little more or harder to burn more calories," he adds.

Running may burn 50% more calories than walking or other aerobic activities, but that doesn't mean walkers can't shed pounds. When it comes to exercising, if weight loss is your goal, choosing the correct activity and performing it at the proper intensity is the key to burning calories. The amount of time isn't as important as how hard you work during the exercise.

Given that many people often have less than an hour to exercise per session, I am often asked what the best activity to perform, if time is limited, and burning calories is a priority. Use the chart below to learn how many calories each exercise burns. Remember that the number of calories you burns depends on your weight, the exercise you are doing, and the intensity (how hard), you are exercising.

If you are peddling hard on a stationary bike, feeling the burn in your legs and sweating, you are burning many more calories than the person on the bike next to you reading the paper. Simply put, the harder you work, the more energy you expend. Not that walking with friends isn't great exercise, but you get more benefits by your increasing your pace and adding some hills. Save the gossiping for cool-down. After the first 10-minutes, conversation should be difficult.

The exercises below note the number of calories you will burn in one minute. The first number is for a 120-pound person, the second for a 140-pound person, the third is for a 160-pound person. To determine your total calorie burn per exercise, find your activity and weight and multiply times the number of minutes you intend to exercise.

Make each workout count more by increasing the intensity of the exercise, rather than the time. To achieve maximum results, play around and try different activities. With all the choices available today in the fitness equipment and classes, take advantage of the opportunity to experiment with new exercises and enjoy getting fitter, without spending more time.