The 7 best exercises for weight loss
What better exercise to lose weight?
It is estimated that half of all Brazilian adults try to lose weight every year.
In addition to dieting, exercise is one of the most common strategies employed by those trying to lose weight. It burns calories, and it plays a key role in losing weight.
In addition to helping you lose weight, exercise has been associated with many other benefits, including improved mood, stronger bones and reduced risk of many chronic diseases.
Here are the 8 best exercises for weight loss.
1. Walk
Walking is one of the best exercises for weight loss – and for good reason.
It is convenient and an easy way for beginners to start exercising without feeling overwhelmed or needing to buy equipment. In addition, it is an exercise with less impact, which means that it does not stress your joints.
According to Harvard Health, it is estimated that a 70 kg person burns 155 calories for 30 minutes of walking at a moderate pace of 6.4 km / h ( 5 mph).
A 12-week study of 20 obese women found that walking 50 to 70 minutes, 3 times a week, reduced body fat and waist circumference by an average of 1.5% and 2.8 cm, respectively
It is easy to fit walking into your daily routine. To add more steps to your day, try walking during the lunch break, walking up the stairs at work or taking your dog for extra walks.
To start, try walking for 30 minutes, 3–4 times a week. You can gradually increase the duration or frequency of your walks as you become more fit.
The walk is a great exercise for beginners because it can be done anywhere, it does not require equipment and exerts minimal stress on joints. Try to incorporate more walks into your daily activities.
2. Race
run
Running is a great exercise to help you lose weight.
Harvard Health estimates that a 70 kg person burns approximately 298 calories for 30 minutes of running at a speed of 8 km / h, or 372 calories for 30 minutes of running at 10 km / h (9.7 km / h) pace ( 5 ).
In addition, studies have found that running and jogging can help burn harmful visceral fat, commonly known as belly fat. This type of fat surrounds your internal organs and has been linked to several chronic diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes
Running is a great exercise that can be done anywhere and is easy to incorporate into your weekly routine. To start, try running for 20 to 30 minutes, 3 to 4 times a week.
If you find that moving or running outdoors is difficult for your joints, try running on softer surfaces, such as grass. In addition, many treadmills have internal cushioning, which can be easier on your joints.
Running is a great exercise for weight loss, easy to incorporate into your weekly routine. It can also help to burn belly fat, which is linked to many chronic diseases.
3. Cycling
Cycling is a popular exercise that improves your fitness and can help you lose weight.
Although cycling is traditionally done outdoors, many gyms and fitness centers have stationary bikes that allow you to cycle while you are indoors.
Harvard Health estimates that a 70-kg person burns about 260 calories every 30 minutes on a bicycle on a stationary bike at a moderate pace, or 298 calories per 30 minutes on a bicycle at a moderate pace from 12 to 13.9 mph ( 19–22.4 km / h) ( 5 ).
Not only is cycling great for weight loss, but studies have found that people who cycle regularly have better overall fitness, greater insulin sensitivity and lower risk of heart disease, cancer and death compared to those who do not cycle regularly.
Cycling is great for people of all fitness levels, from beginners to athletes. In addition, it is a weightless and low impact exercise, so as not to cause too much stress on the joints.
The biking is great for people of all fitness levels and can be done outdoors on a bike or on a stationary bike indoors. It has been linked to several health benefits, including increased insulin sensitivity and reduced risk of certain chronic diseases.
4. Weight training
Weight
Weight training is a popular choice for people looking to lose weight.
According to Harvard Health, it is estimated that a 70 kg person burns approximately 155 kg for every 30 minutes of weight training ( 5 ).
In addition, weight training can help increase strength and promote muscle growth, which can increase your resting metabolic rate (RMR) or how many calories your body burns at rest
A 6-month study showed that simply doing 11 minutes of strength training 3 times a week resulted in a 7.4% increase in metabolic rate, on average. In this study, this increase was equivalent to burning 125 additional calories a day
Another study found that 24 weeks of weight training led to a 9% increase in metabolic rate among men, which is equivalent to burning approximately 140 more calories per day. Among women, the increase in metabolic rate was almost 4%, or 50 more calories per day
In addition, several studies have shown that your body continues to burn calories many hours after a weight training, compared to aerobic exercise
Weight training can help you lose weight by burning calories during and after training. It can also help build muscle mass, which increases your resting metabolic rate – the number of calories your body burns at rest.
5. Interval training
Interval training, better known as high intensity interval training (HIIT), is a broad term that refers to brief bursts of intense exercise that alternate with recovery periods.
Typically, a HIIT workout lasts 10 to 30 minutes and can burn a lot of calories.
A study of 9 active men found that HIIT burned 25 to 30% more calories per minute than other types of exercise, including weight training, cycling and running on a treadmill
This means that HIIT can help you burn more calories while spending less time exercising.
In addition, numerous studies have shown that HIIT is especially effective in burning belly fat, which is linked to many chronic diseases
It is easy to incorporate HIIT into your exercise routine. All you need to do is choose a type of exercise, such as running, jumping or cycling, in addition to your exercises and rest times.
For example, ride as hard as you can on a bicycle for 30 seconds, followed by pedaling slowly for 1–2 minutes. Repeat this pattern for 10 to 30 minutes.
The interval training is an effective strategy for weight loss that can be applied to many types of exercises, including running, jumping, cycling and more. Incorporating interval training into your routine can help you burn more calories in less time.
6. Swimming
swimming
Swimming is a fun way to lose weight and get in shape.
Harvard Health estimates that a 70 kg person burns about 233 calories per half hour of swimming.
Every 30 minutes, a 70-kilogram person burns 298 calories doing backstroke, 372 calories doing breaststroke, 409 calories doing butterfly swimming and 372 calories in water ( 5 ).
A 12-week study of 24 middle-aged women found that swimming for 60 minutes 3 times a week significantly reduced body fat, improved flexibility and several risk factors for heart disease, including high total cholesterol and blood triglycerides
Another advantage of swimming is its low impact nature, which means it is easier on the joints. This makes it a great option for people with joint pain or injury.
The Swimming is a great low – impact exercise for people wanting to lose weight. In addition, it can help improve your flexibility and reduce risk factors for various diseases.
7. Pilates
Pilates is a great exercise for beginners, which can help you lose weight.
According to a study sponsored by the American Council on Exercise, a 64 kg person would burn 108 calories in a 30-minute beginner’s Pilates class, or 168 calories in advanced classes of the same duration.
Although Pilates may not burn as many calories as aerobic exercise, such as running, many people find it enjoyable, which facilitates adherence over time
An 8-week study of 37 middle-aged women found that performing Pilates exercises for 90 minutes, 3 times a week, significantly reduced waist, stomach and hip circumference compared to a control group that did not exercise. in the same period
In addition to weight loss, Pilates has been shown to reduce low back pain and improve your strength, balance, flexibility, endurance and overall fitness level
If you want to try Pilates, try to incorporate it into your weekly routine. You can do Pilates at home or at one of the many gyms that offer Pilates classes.
To further increase weight loss with Pilates, combine it with a healthy diet or other forms of exercise, such as weight training or cardio.
How much weight can you realistically expect to lose?
How much weight you can expect to lose with exercise depends on many factors.
These include:
- Initial weight. People who weigh more tend to lose more pounds than those who weigh less. Still, the percentage of body weight lost is similar
- Age. Older people tend to have more fat and less muscle mass, which reduces their RMR or how many calories their body burns at rest. A lower RMR can make weight loss more difficult
- Genre. Women tend to have a higher fat / muscle ratio than men, which can affect their RMR. As a result, men tend to lose weight more quickly than women, even if they consume a similar number of calories.
- Diet. Weight loss occurs when you burn more calories than you consume. Thus, a calorie deficit is essential to lose weight
- To sleep. Studies have found that lack of sleep can decrease the rate at which you lose weight and even increase your cravings for unhealthy foods
- Medical conditions. People with medical conditions like depression and hypothyroidism may lose weight at a slower rate
- Genetics. Studies have shown that weight loss has a genetic component, which can affect certain people with obesity
Although most people want to lose weight quickly, experts generally recommend losing 0.5 to 1.36 kg, or approximately 1% of your body weight, per week
Losing weight too fast can have negative health consequences. For example, it can result in muscle loss and increase the risk of diseases such as gallstones, dehydration, fatigue, malnutrition, headaches, irritability, constipation, hair loss and irregular periods
In addition, people who lose weight very quickly are more likely to regain it
It is important to keep in mind that weight loss is not a linear process and it is common to lose weight more quickly when you start.
Many exercises can help you lose weight.
Some great options for burning calories include walking, running, cycling, swimming, weight training, interval training, yoga and Pilates.
That said, many other exercises can also help to increase your weight loss efforts.
It is more important to choose an exercise that you enjoy doing. This increases the likelihood that you will stick to it in the long run and see results.