Fitness Goal: Burn Calories and Build Endurance

Question:

I do regular aerobics at home. My fitness goals are to burn calories and build physical endurance. I work at a desk 8 hours a day, have for several years. My physical stamina has taken a huge hit because of this and I need to drop a few pounds. A friend of mine has started doing Crossfit and LOVES it. I’m seriously considering it but am wondering which type of exercise is best for me when trying to meet my goals of weight loss and building endurance. 

Answer:

By ‘regular aerobics’, I’m assuming you’re referring to jumping jacks, running in place, lunges, a video with music…all great modes of getting your heart rate up and sustaining it for a period of time.  

This is definitely calorie burning, but after a certain period of time you may find that you’re not seeing any gains in fitness because your body is adapting and needs to be challenged a bit more.  

Crossfit is a strength and conditioning program which incorporates cardio (aerobic) endurance, muscle strength and flexibility.  Because the workouts change frequently, you have a great opportunity to continually improve your fitness level.  As your stated goal of building endurance, Crossfit will absolutely do that.  

However your other goal is weight loss, which will require you to make modifications in your diet. Keep in mind that in order to lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit, which simply put, you will need to eat less than you are burning through exercise and resting metabolism.

Even though you will be burning more calories through your workouts, if you find yourself hungrier and eating the wrong foods, you may actually GAIN weight.  I have seen this happen to new fitness enthusiasts who believe they are burning more calories than they actually are.  

If you fill yourself up with…

• whole grain carbohydrates,
• non-starchy vegetables,
• fruit and
• lean protein,

In conjunction with this great fitness program, you should have no trouble reaching both of your goals.