Excess fat in your core and lower-body areas can leave you feeling self-conscious about your appearance, and being overweight can place you at risk for certain health issues. Cardiovascular exercise is essential to shed fat anywhere on your body, and regular aerobic workouts will help you achieve your weight-loss goal for a more slender-looking belly, butt and legs. A safe rate of 1 to 2 pounds of weight loss is recommended as being the best way to lose weight and keep it off, and can help you quickly get to your goal.

Interval Training

You can lose weight faster by taking your normal aerobics exercise and adding intervals to it. Intervals of faster-paced exercise interspersed with your normal pace will increase your calorie burn, leading to quicker weight loss. Instead of jogging, swimming or biking for one hour to burn approximately 500 calories, you can do so in about 45 to 50 minutes by adding intervals. After every four minutes of exercising at your normal pace, increase your speed or intensity for one full minute. Continue to alternate intervals throughout the entirety of the workout.

Circuit Training

The calorie-burning benefits of increased muscle mass help you lose weight even when you're not exercising. Circuit training is an effective aerobic exercise that torches fat with a combination of cardio and strength-training exercises. This all-in-one workout will help you shed fat and tone muscle as you alternate three minutes of cardiovascular exercise such as jogging in place, jumping rope or bouncing on a rebounder with 45-second increments of a strength training exercise. Weight-bearing exercises such as lunges, squats, pushups, biceps curls and triceps kickbacks will help you get a thorough strength-training workout while burning calories to lose weight all over.

Water-Based Exercise

Those who haven't exercised in a while or have a lot of weight to lose can benefit from water-based exercise. Whether you swim, participate in water walking or take a water aerobics class, you'll burn calories while enjoying the muscle-toning benefits of exercising in the water. The buoyancy of the water helps support weight and keep excess pressure off your joints while you work out.

Other Considerations

Prior to beginning any new weight-loss exercise routine, you should see your doctor to ensure the exercises are right for you. If it's been a while since you've exercised regularly, it's best to start off slowly and add more time as you're able. Ideally, you should perform cardio exercises for 150 to 300 minutes per week as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. When you burn 500 calories per hour, you can lose 1 pound per week through exercise alone. Incorporate a calorie-reduced diet that's rich in fresh produce, lean protein, low-fat dairy and whole grains to lose weight more quickly.

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