Before we discuss what are the most effective aerobic exercises for maximum weight loss and fitness, we need to remind you that we highly recommend consulting a professional trainer or your doctor before starting any exercise program. Now that we have that out of the way, let's begin...

When you put your workout plan together, you will want to choose an aerobic exercise to do the majority of the time. This will be your primary aerobic exercise. You'll want to pick something that is fairly simple to do and more importantly, something you enjoy. The point of a workout is to help you stay healthy but if it bores you to death or you absolutely hate doing it, it is most likely going to fail. The most effective aerobic exercises for maximum weight loss and fitness are jogging, walking, aerobics, stair stepping, and elliptical training.

After you choose a primary aerobic exercise that you enjoy, you'll want to choose an alternative aerobic exercise. The reason is, you don't want to do your primary exercise every day due to the stress on the body. You also want an alternative exercise to keep your workouts interesting. If you jog every day, for example, not only will you cause added stress to your body, but chances are you'll get bored - fast! The best alternative aerobic exercises are outdoor cycling, stationary cycling, rowing, cross-country skiing, and swimming.

Jogging
One of the really great aerobic exercises that millions of people enjoy is jogging and the fact that it has several benefits makes it an excellent choice. Of all the aerobics exercises from which to choose, jogging is the one that produces the fastest weight loss results. Jogging is also convenient because it can be performed anywhere - at your local health club, outside, or in the comfort of your own home using a treadmill.

As with anything, there are some down sides to consider when thinking of making jogging one of your primary aerobic exercises. For one thing, jogging places a lot of stress on your muscles, ligaments, joints and cardiovascular system. The last thing you want to do is overtax your body with your workout plan, so just be sure to ask your doctor or trainer before making jogging your primary aerobic exercise. Should you decide to make jogging your choice for your primary exercise, it’s best to restrict jogging to no more than four days due to the added stress to your body and alternate with other aerobic exercises.

Equipment and Apparel to Consider:

• High-quality pair of running shoes
• Heart rate monitor
• Specialized jogging apparel
• High quality treadmill for home use

Walking
Walking is also a great choice among the primary aerobic exercises. There is very little stress on your body and it is one of those aerobic exercises, unlike jogging, that you can do everyday of the week with very little risk of overextension or injury. If walking is your primary exercise, it’s important that you walk aerobically and not just stroll. You might be asking what's the difference? Strolling is a leisurely walk in the park. You know, the kind of walk you'd take with a date. Aerobic walking, on the other hand, is more serious and intense and the focus is upon your health. The key to effective aerobic walking is good posture and a 90-degree arm swing. That is to say, bend your arms at a 90-degree angle and swing them to help propel you as you walk. Pace is also important. You’ll want to walk as fast as you are capable and then gradually increase your pace as it gets easier.

You may achieve your weight loss goals with walking as your primary aerobic exercise, but you may find that walking isn't enough. Walking may become too easy for you and you may find that you just can’t lose those few extra pounds. This happened to me when I first started exercising. I chose walking as one of my primary aerobic exercises, but after a month of regular walking it became too easy and I wasn’t achieving my weight loss goals. I started to jog once or twice a week and then eventually jogging became my primary aerobic exercise.

If you don’t like to walk outside and you don’t have access to a health club, walking in a mall is a great alternative. I’m sure you’ve seen these “mall walkers” before. Malls are terrific because they’re free, you can walk indoors and “people watching” can be quite entertaining to pass the time! If you don’t have a mall in your area, another indoor alternative is to invest in a quality treadmill for your home.

Equipment and Apparel to Consider:

• Treadmill
• High-quality pair of walking shoes
• Heart rate monitor
• Pedometer
• Outdoor apparel

Aerobics
Aerobics, as the name implies, is an exercise that provides a great aerobic workout. There are a number of aerobic exercise classes to choose from, such as step aerobics, jazzercise, boxing aerobics and water aerobics to name a few. Most aerobic classes are low in impact, but overuse injuries in muscles and joints are still possible if you participate in aerobics more than four times per week. Therefore, you’ll want to have an alternative aerobic exercise to complete your program. Another thing to consider is that you’ll most likely have to join a health club if you don’t already belong to one and you may have to pay an additional fee for the classes. Another thing to consider is your schedule. If your career keeps you on the road alot or you just have alot going on in your life, you may find aerobic classes conflicting with your schedule. If that's the case, aerobics may not be the best choice for your primary aerobic exercise.

Equipment and Apparel to Consider:

• Quality pair of shoes
• Heart Rate Monitor

Stair Stepping/Elliptical Trainers
Stair stepping is another great primary aerobic exercise. You can stair step using a machine or climbing steps at a local arena. Stair stepping is a great aerobic exercise because it puts little stress on your body and you don’t have to worry about the weather, especially if you have a quality stair stepper in your home.  The drawback to stair stepping is that you don’t get as much of an aerobic exercise as the other three primary aerobic exercises. The reason is you’re not moving all of your body weight because the stepper supports some of it. You also use fewer muscles than the other three aerobic exercises.

There are a couple of things you are going to want to keep in mind when using the stair stepper for your aerobic exercise. Be sure to stand up straight and don’t support your weight with the rails of the stair stepper. You should hang on for balance only because otherwise you are not going to be getting all the benefits of this aerobic exercise. When I’m working out at the fitness center I always see people slouching over the machine with their arms and hands resting on the balance bars. They are supporting half of their body weight so their exercises are half as effective! Stand up straight, use your hands to balance and take medium to large steps and you’ll maximum the effectiveness of this exercise.

The latest trend today is the use of elliptical trainers.  Most health clubs today have more elliptical machines than they have stair steppers.  They have become so popular because they allow you to work more muscles than a stair stepper, while still minimizing the stress on the body.  Either one - a stair stepper or an elliptical trainer - are great primary aerobic exercises.

Equipment and Apparel to Consider:

• Quality stair climber
• Quality pair of shoes
• Heart rate monitor
• General fitness apparel
• Quality elliptical machine

No matter what aerobic exercise you choose as your primary, don't forget about those alternative aerobic exercises! Click here for our recommendations of the best alternative aerobic exercises.