Research shows that combining a healthy diet with a programme of exercise is far more effective than using a diet alone to burn fat. Even the most well balanced diet will cause some loss in lean muscle tissue, so it is very important to prevent muscle loss by doing some form of exercise.

How to exercise to burn fat
Any form of exercise that requires you to use your muscles will cause your body to use fat as fuel. The best fat burning exercise are those that are load bearing and can be done continuously using the most muscle groups, especially the large muscles of the thighs, hips and bottom. Although some exercises use more calories than others there is no one best exercise to do the job.

For best results exercise should consist of a variation of cardio vascular (walking, cycling, rowing etc) and resistance (weights).

Whilst it is true that the more time spent exercising, the more fat you will burn, 20 minutes is considered to be the least you should do to achieve adequate fat burning benefits and to increase the fat burning enzymes in the muscles.

You should aim for 3 sessions per week with no more than 2 days rest in between and increase the duration of each session to an hour as your fitness improves. Keeping your exercise varied will not only relieve boredom but will prevent your body becoming accustomed to exercise, making sure you continue to show improvements in fitness and muscle tone.

How hard should you train?
The correct intensity for burning fat is a lot lower than people think. The "no pain, no gain" myth does not apply here; in fact fat burning exercise should be fairly moderate and comfortable.

An effective method to gauge how hard to work is the RPE scale (rate of perceived exertion). This scale goes from 1 - 10, 10 is the most exhausted you have ever been during exercise and 1 is how you are whilst reading this. Working at an intensity of 6 - 7 is about right for fat burning. Remember as you become more fit and less fat you will have to work harder in order to reach the same level of intensity to burn fat.

In addition to improving the condition of your heart rate and lungs, exercise increases your metabolism and can create an 8-fold increase in your calorie burning potential for hours after exercise.

Your muscle is crucial for fat loss as fat is burned almost exclusively by your muscles. The fitter your muscles are, the more fat you will burn. Without exercise you will lose muscle and reduce your ability to burn fat. People who take regular exercise have far more fat burning enzymes in their body than people who do no exercise.

Other Benefits
Whilst exercising, your body releases hormones called endomorphines which as well as increasing your feeling of well being can also help reduce fat storage. Exercise also helps speed up food transit time through the intestines to complete the digestive cycle and reduce the risk of digestive orders and bowel cancer.

A fit body responds differently to a fat body e.g. cholesterol, sugar, salt etc do not affect someone who is as fat, and in fact exercise has a positive effect on every organ in the body.

A regular exercise program can help to:

• Reduce the risk of heart disease
• Lower blood pressure
• Improve levels of cholesterol
• Delay the onset of osteoporosis
• Control asthma
• Manage stress
• Improve posture
• Improve balance, stability and flexibility.

In short, exercise is a must for the loss of body fat but most of all it will without doubt increase your feeling of well being and confidence and improve the general quality of your life.