For many of us, the New Year brings some high-powered resolutions, including those related to getting back on track with fitness.  We might resolve to get back to the gym, to finally sign up for that session with a personal trainer, to start that virtual run across the country, or to follow progressive weight training that we’ve heard can pay off.

When it comes to making choices about a “fat burning” or weight loss program through cardio, newbies need to think about how they will pursue their program.  Two basic choices are part of this decision: those starting training regimens can opt for high-intensity or moderate cardio workouts.

One element of selecting your workout grade is your existing health.  If you have a history of cardiac problems, or even just feel that you could be overworking yourself, ask your doctor about what your personal limits should be.

When you have clearance for high- intensity cardio, there are still some issues to be worked out.  High-intensity vs. moderate cardio is a choice that contains pros and cons to each of the options, and you’ll need to look at how both of these training options work.

Detailed comparisons show that a moderate workout has a higher ratio of fat burning for a set amount of caloric burning than a high-intensity workout does.  This might seem counter-intuitive, but the way it works is that at a higher intensity, more of the calorie burning is taken from carbohydrates, instead of fats.

What this means is that for a set amount of calories, a moderate workout will actually burn more fats.  However, a high-intensity workout has several indirect benefits, such as mood/metabolism boosting, that make it a desirable training option.  There’s also the time factor: high-intensity training obviously burns more calories in a set time, making it a “more efficient” way to train.

For many others approaching a cardio program, the best choice is a mix of the two options, with a gradual increase to guard against over-training.

One way to do this is by using the controls handily available on standard gym training machines.  Starting at a low to moderate range, where the heart rate goes up to 60 or 65%, the individual can vary his/her routine every day, slowly increasing speed, resistance (to burn more calories in a short time) and workout time, and as the different variables are increased, the individual trains toward a higher heart rate of 80 or 85%, that approaches the “high intensity” category.

Ultimately, the choice is yours, but knowing a little about the body’s ‘use’ of moderate and high-intensity workouts helps beginning cardio trainers make their own decisions.