Article: Making goals will help you stay motivated by giving you something concrete to work toward. Setting SMART goals is widely considered the best way to set goals and stay on track. SMART goals are: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time constrained. For instance, instead of saying, "I want to be stronger," your goal is something like, "I want to be able to bench press 100 pounds, three times in a row, three months from now." Or, "I want to lose 10 pounds in the next 4 months." Once you have set your goals, you can make a plan to achieve them. What do you need to do to achieve your goal? As you approach your goal, start thinking about your next SMART goal to set and achieve. Cardiovascular exercise is one of the best ways to lose weight. Studies show that cardiovascular exercise like walking, jogging, and running is highly effective at any degree of intensity. That's because cardio/aerobic exercise works the muscles in your arms, legs, and hips, and increases blood flow to all sets of muscles. Effective cardio exercises include: Walking Jogging/running Bicycling Swimming Skiing Stair climbing Elliptical training Rowing Aerobic dancing If you're trying to lose weight fast, HIIT training can super-charge your metabolism for upwards of 24 hours after exercising. This means your body will continue burning calories long after you've ended your workout. HIIT burns more calories in less time than steady-state cardio. In one study, researchers looked at two groups, one running for 30 to 60 minutes three times per week, the other doing four to six 30-second treadmill sprints, resting for four to six minutes between each sprint. After six weeks, it was found that the group doing HIIT training lost more weight. For HIIT to work, you need to be giving about 90% all-out effort during the high-interval portion. This means not walking, jogging or even running you should be sprinting, unable to carry on a conversation. Start out with high-intensity intervals that last for 30 seconds, then rest (by walking or doing low-intensity exercise, not by standing still) for a minute. Eventually you'll want to do your high-intensity training for longer periods (try 60 to 90 seconds) and decrease your rest periods to a 1:1 ratio. Start your HIIT workout with a five minute warmup, then do 20 minutes of HIIT, and then cool down for another five minutes. Try biking, sprinting, and rowing. Weight training is a great tool for losing weight, toning muscles and it can actually help your body burn calories more efficiently. Experts recommend incorporating two to three weight-training sessions per week, with noticeable results in just a few weeks. When many people think of core strengthening, they think of stomach crunches. Crunches are helpful for building abdominal muscles, but contrary to popular belief, crunches won't do much to lose the layer of fat stored in your belly, and can actually cause significant damage to the spine. Instead, try a workout routine that strengthens your whole core, like yoga, or try abdominal presses and planking.
What is a summary of what this article is about?
Set goals. Focus on cardiovascular exercise. Lose fat with high-intensity interval training (HIIT). Lift weights. Work your core.