Exercise: What should I be focusing on?

I had always been told that if you want to burn fat it's best to train at up about 75% of your optimal heart rate and for aerobic conditioning you go higher at 85%. At about 90% it's anaerobic and you start building muscle. Fat is STILL burned as a result of muscle building though. Of course this is just a guide for anyone wanting to start weight loss. Of course the concept is simple - you need to expend more energy than you take in...but having said that, you need to then work out know how much you take in and estimate how much you burn off. I think most people when they start exercising, from doing none at all, tend to overestimate the amount of exercise they do and underestimate their calories in. I can't stand running - I just do a moderate work out or boxing fitness workout and when I feel my clothes getting tighter I just go a few days without eating cakes and bread.

Urbangirl...you and alot of people have a common misconception about fat burning...there is no optimal fat burning heart rate. You see your body is a finely tuned machine...and works on a simple formula. Weight loss= Calories burned Calories consumed. Your body burns calories from 3 different areas, your blood, your liver, and your fat. Fat is the slowest one to burn, but your body uses energy from all 3 locations, its just that your blood and your liver are the first ones to provide your body with the energy it needs...and fat is last because its the most important...because its the most efficient...you can last alot longer off of fat then you can on the energy stored in your blood and liver. So as long as you burn more calories then you consume you will lose weight..there is no way to burn "more" fat then anything else. So yes...faster and longer is better then slower and longer. If you would like me to be more detailed I can be, I just tried to use general terminology so everyone could understand.

Whats your opinion on the Tae bo workout?? I follow that and it does get up my heart rate and make me sweat. Still not as good as running?

Like I said there is no substitute for running, but Tae Bo is generally a good cardio workout and it does get your heat rate up, which means your body is burning more calories which is the goal. Just make sure that the workout is continuous, so you are constantly burning calories. Even if you work out for 3 hours but take alot of breaks, you might not be burning that many calories because you are giving your body a chance to slow down and rest.