Are You Working Hard Enough to Lose Weight?

Losing weight is hard and can become consuming for many people. Let's take a look at intensity level of the workouts being performed to aid in the weight loss process. Many people have never experienced a level of intensity that's required for truly burning calories, raising the metabolic rate and creating an effect where the "after burn" comes into play. Rate of perceived exertion or how hard you are working is a critical piece of information when determining the number of calories burned and trying to lose weight. Many people exercise at a lower intensity because they do not put in all of their effort, simply because it is easier. As a result, fewer calories are burned and results will take longer to achieve. Intensity is about pushing yourself, getting the best workout you possibly can, and seeing what you are capable of achieving. Exercising with intensity in mind will bring about the changes desired.

There are two basic ways to measure intensity: how you feel and heart rate training. The most common way of determining the level of intensity you are working at is by using the Perceived Rate of Exertion scale, or PRE, which ranges from 1 to 10. A 1 on the PRE scale is when one is able to have a full conversation and only very light exercise is performed, and 10 means one is not able to speak and very intense exercise is being performed. The majority of the workout should range between 6 to 9 on the scale; this means the heart rate is high enough for a continuous calorie burn (American Council on Exercise). This will ensure you will get the most benefits out of your workout because you are putting in enough effort leading to maximum calorie burn.

Here is an example; If one were to exercise for 2 hours at a lower intensity and another individual exercised at a higher intensity for 1 hour, the calorie burn would be approximately equal. This shows that intensity is key and the higher the intensity, the less time spent working out with more calories burned. Working at a higher intensity makes one's heart pump faster to circulate blood to the rest of the body, and the lungs work harder to deliver oxygen to the muscles. After a while of working out at a high level of intensity, the heart and lungs become better conditioned to dealing with strenuous or high impact activity, making the body overall, well conditioned for all daily and exercise related activities. In addition, after higher intensity bursts, the body will continue to burn calories at a faster rate throughout the day. This can lead to an overall increase in the metabolic rate over time.

For continuous results, one should check the intensity level throughout the workout. What you put in is essentially what you get in return. The harder you push yourself, upping the intensity, the higher the calorie burn will be, leading to a healthier body.