Trying to lose weight -Then probably you must be looking for fast results. So, let me save your time. Skip fad diets, eat balanced meal and exercise regularly.Read to know about tips for balanced diet. But do you know how often and how much exercise is required for a fit and toned body? That's true, anything in excess or too less will give bad effects if carried for long period of time. So to be more clear and confident on this statement. Why not research about it in depth?

How often should you exercise

Make a routine to exercise 5 days a week and remaining 2 days should be a rest day. Taking rest is really crucial for your body because it provides the time for the muscles to recover in faster manner. This is because while doing workout, body undergoes multiple changes. This includes depletion of reserved energy stores and breakdown of muscle tissues. Therefore, it is necessary to provide recovery time to recharge the energy stores and to repair wear and tear of the muscles. Moreover, it will decrease the chance of over working out. Working out in excess actually damage your muscle and can lead to muscle strain.

How much should you exercise

If you want to:

  1. Lose weight-To lose weight, you should exercise 5 days a week. It also depends upon the kind of exercise you are working on. According to FDA, the best way to exercise for a weight loss is kind that gets your heartbeat up. So, light exercising like walking, doing household stuff won’t help you to lose weight.
  2. Maintaining weight- People who are more successful in maintaining weight are those who follow two things religiously- healthy eating and working out 5 days a week.
  3. Staying fit- If you are a beginner then you can start with low intensity exercises like walking. And once you build up the stamina, you can increase intensity or frequency by introducing running and jogging instead of normal walking. Get more information why constantly doing running doesn't help in weight loss?.On the other hand, if you are into weight training, then you should regularly increase the intensity of your lifts by adding extra weights. But don’t force yourself beyond your stamina level, you might end up hurting yourself.

So, make your workout effective with shorter breaks. Do not rely much on gym. Focus on healthy eating and regular exercise regime to be fit, healthy and toned.