Does slow cardio exercise help me burn more fat?

You will burn more fat by burning more calories.  Many cardiovascular pieces of equipment have programs for fat lose and this may keep you in a lower heart rate for a longer period of time.  This will be more beneficial than doing no exercise at all but may not help you burn more fat.  In order to lose weight, you must burn more calories than you consumer remembering that 1 pound of fat is equal to 3,500 calories.

Slow cardio helps you burn a higher percentage of fat, but it does not help you burn more fat overall. For instance, if you do a low intensity cardio for 30 minutes, you may get a higher percentage coming from fat, but you have done a low intensity, so you have not burned that many calories.  A great example of a low intensity event with a greater percentage of calories coming from fat is … SLEEP.  Most of the calories burned during sleep come from fat, but sleeping is not the best means of weight loss.  If you go into a higher intensity, you are going to burn a higher percentage of calories from carbohydrates than fats. The bottom line is the higher intensity burns more calories, and the more calories you burn, the more weight you lose. The end result is fat loss.

Performing cardio at lower intensities for longer periods of time does not necessarily help you burn more body fat. Remember, losing body fat is really a numbers game, and it all comes down to how many calories your burn versus how many you eat. In order to maximize the amount of fat being burned overall (during and after exercise), you should consider exercising in different heart rate zones. Exercising in higher heart rate zones not only burns more calories during the activity, but also causes the body to burn more calories after exercise. Try performing some high-low intervals to increase your calorie burn and decrease your body fat:  begin with a slow 5 minute warm-up at a low pace. Increase your intensity for 1 minute to a pace where you can barely hold a conversation.  Follow this minute with a 1 minute slow pace rest interval. Continue this sequence for 15 minutes and finish with a 5 minute slow pace cool-down. This is a great start to burning off that body fat!