Not only does exercise burn calories, it helps the body maintain its useful muscle mass, and it may also help keep the body's metabolic rate high during dieting. Fat can only be burned during exercise if oxygen is used. Aerobic exercise, which uses lots of oxygen, is the best type of activity for burning fat. Aerobic exercises include jogging, walking, swimming, bicycling, cross-country skiing, rowing, stair climbing, exercise to music, and jumping rope. Anaerobic activities, such as sprinting or lifting heavy weights, burn little, if any, fat.
Aerobic exercise is best for burning fat.
Examples include jogging, walking, swimming, bicycling, cross-country skiing, and rowing. Exercise alone is not the best way to lose body fat, especially in large amounts. For an average-sized person, running or walking one mile burns about 100 calories. Because there are 3,500 calories in one pound of fat, he needs to run or walk 35 miles if pure fat were being burned. In reality, fat is seldom the only source of energy used during aerobic exercise.