Losing weight is not only for overweight or obese individuals. You may want to shed off some pounds to remain in shape. That is perfectly okay. According to the survey conducted by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), almost 49% of U.S. adults try to lose weight every year. In this article we will discuss best exercises for weight loss.
Currently, many people are cautious about their weight. They are employing different measures to ensure they maintain a healthy weight. Sadly, overweight people might find it difficult to lose weight if they do not change their lifestyle. The worst is, they’re at risk of getting cardiovascular diseases or diabetes.
Probably you’ve met people running, walking or jogging in the mornings or evenings. They aim to lose weight or maintain healthy blood circulation. Similarly, you’ve seen people register for dance, Zumba, or workout classes, to stay in good shape.
What are the causes of gaining weight?
There are many reasons for gaining weight. It may be genetics also. If you are food addicted or consume excess junk food, then you may be gaining weight.
You must know that losing weight has no single formula. It is a combination of different measures that follow a strict plan. For instance, apart from doing physical exercises, you need to eat a balanced diet and drink plenty of water.
That notwithstanding, we put together 10 Best Exercises for Weight Loss. If you incorporate them into your daily routine, undoubtedly, you’ll shed those extra pounds.
Best Exercises for Weight Loss
- 1. Walking
- 2. Jogging/running
- 3. Swimming
- 4. Cycling
- 5. Yoga
- 6. Interval training
- 7. Jumping rope
- 8. Weight training
- 9. CrossFit
- 10. Tabata
Here we go… Best Exercises for Weight Loss
1. Walking
It may sound ridiculous to term walking as a weight loss regimen. In a real sense, it helps a lot. Walking is the best starting point for beginners. It is not intense; therefore, it doesn’t give you an overwhelming feeling.
Besides, walking is a low impact exercise; it doesn’t have an adverse effect/does not stress your joints. You lose weight when you walk at a particular pace. Experts advise that you can lose up to 167 calories if you walk for 30 minutes at a speed of 4 mph.
Walking can be a challenge, especially if you own a car, or when the building you work in has a lift. In such cases, take a walk during lunch break, or forfeit the lift. You can start by setting a target, maybe 20 minutes every day.
2. Jogging/running
Jogging and running are not similar, but both ultimately are effective in helping you to shed some pounds. The significant difference between the two is pace. Jogging is at a slower pace than running.
This exercise is good for people who want to burn more calories. This is one of the best workouts to lose weight. Precisely, the exercises burn belly fat effectively if you do it regularly. Remember, running is convenient as you can do it anywhere. Modern gyms have treadmills to offer running surfaces.
Also, running trains several body muscles. For instance, if you run uphill, you work out your glutes and legs. Again, while running, you use a lot of energy, hence burning more calories.
3. Swimming
Swimming is a low impact exercise. The fascinating thing about swimming is that it works all body muscles. When your muscles are activated, they burn the calories. So, the more muscles you engage, the more calories they burn.
However, you can only get positive results if you swim with some level of vigor. For instance, if you are swimming in an Olympic size pool, you can swim ten sets of 100 meters while taking a one-minute rest between each set.
Again, you can try a simple balancing in water; stand upright in water in the deep end of the pool, and use your arms legs to stay afloat in water for 5 minutes. How does it feel?
4. Cycling
If you want to keep fit and lose weight, try cycling. Nowadays, you can cycle both indoors and outdoors. In every gym or fitness center, there are numerous kinds of stationary bikes. Cycling is also a best exercise for weight loss.
If you cycle for half an hour on a stationary bike at a moderate pace, you can burn up to 260 calories. On the other hand, if you cycle on a bicycle for the same period pace, you can burn up to 298 calories according to research.
The good news is that cycling is fit for people of all fitness levels.
5. Yoga
Most people believe that yoga is a means of only improving mental health. However, if you practice the active forms of yoga, you can burn a considerable amount of calories in addition to other health benefits that enhance weight loss.
According to experts, yoga works in different ways to stimulate the weight loss process. For instance, yoga encourages you to be mindful, which, in turn, makes you aware of yourself and the environment around you. When you are in such a state, you can resist unhealthy foods, realize when you are full, and participate in physical activities, among other things.
6. Interval training
Also known as high-intensity interval training, this mode of exercising burns a lot of calories. It involves an intense workout program made up of a combination of exercises done in short intervals, typical between 10 to 30 minutes.
Before you embark on the high-intensity program, ensure that you are healthy enough to handle the intense training. Basically, if you intend to lose weight, under this schedule, what you do is alternate a short period of hard exercise with a short period of light exercise. You have to repeat this cycle of exercise/rest for several cycles. An example of a sequence is; 2 minutes hard training, then 3 minutes active rest, x 5.
Much as these exercises are short, they are intense, and they will surely help you burn those stubborn calories. Experts, however, advise that you must do them for a cumulative 30 minutes per session to get the best results.
7. Jumping rope
Does jumping rope sound too familiar? A rope is cheap. Therefore, this is one of the most inexpensive methods to lose weight. And the best part is that you can use a rope anywhere. If you jump the rope for a few minutes, you’ll feel your heart racing – an indication that you are burning calories.
Best way to jumping rope
However, to get the best results, you have to do the jumps routinely. A simple routine can be something like this:
- Do a 3-minute warm-up session
- Do a hundred jumps- with all feet leaving the ground
- Take one-minute rest, and then make 100 sprints with the jump rope.
- Repeat the procedures above. If you can complete a 100 jumps at ago, you can split into descending order, e.g., 50/50, 21/21, 15/15, 9/9
The final advice is to do it routinely and without putting on shoes.
8. Weight training
Most people associate weight lifting with building muscles. Yes, lifting weight will help you gain muscles, but at the same time, it will burn a considerable amount of calories. Essentially, when you lift weights, your muscles get active for longer as compared to cardio exercise.
According to experts, when you build muscles, you increase your resting metabolism, which burns calories at rest. Some studies indicate that weight training can elevate resting metabolism by 9 percent.
Another importance is of weight training is that it helps you gain strength – another feature that improves resting metabolism.
9. CrossFit
CrossFit weight loss program is a strict and well-planned program that aims at burning calories, building muscles, and giving your life a new culture. It involves interval training, support, and a proper diet plan. Apart from burning calories, the measures employed to enable you to boost metabolism. CrossFit is a culture.
Precisely, intense exercise helps you to burn more calories when done correctly. The practices are difficult, and according to the American Council on Exercise, during a workout session, men can burn approximately 18 calories, while women can burn an appproximate15 calories per minute.
During this training, you’ll build muscle mass and increase strength.
10. Tabata
Tabata is a high-intensity exercise aimed at elevating your metabolism and burn fats at the same time. The training is done in 4 minutes. Within the four minutes are intense sessions of 20 seconds, each followed by a 10 minutes rests.
The exercise plan encompasses different exercises. With these exercises, you will improve the functioning of your heart as you elevate your metabolism. If you are planning to lose weight, slowly increase the training time because your body quickly adapts to the four minutes.
Conclusion
Losing weight is not a simple task. You’ve probably heard of people trying to lose weight, but they end up gaining it. If you want to lose weight, you must combine several exercise programs, and you must do them religiously. Again, take care because your body will adapt to the regime quickly.
Remember, exercise is just part of losing weight. The other major component is diet. If you overeat calories, you’ll gain weight.