Fitness Exercises to Compliment Weight Loss

 

Weightlifting

Weightlifting continues to burn calories even after the workout because the muscles are repairing, recovering, and building, which could also leave you a little sore. It’s one of the ways your body changes when you start working out. “Weightlifting with dumbbells, bands or other workout equipment is fabulous to build muscle and strength throughout the entire body and therefore burn fat and lose weight all the way around,” Mansour said.

 

Walking

Walking is one of the best exercises for weight loss — and for good reason.

 

It’s convenient and an easy way for beginners to start exercising without feeling overwhelmed or needing to purchase equipment. Also, it’s a lower-impact exercise, meaning it doesn’t stress your joints.

 

According to Harvard Health, it’s estimated that a 155-pound (70-kg) person burns around 167 calories per 30 minutes of walking at a moderate pace of 4 mph (6.4 km/h) (5).

 

 

It’s easy to fit walking into your daily routine. To add more steps to your day, try walking during your lunch break, taking the stairs at work, or taking your dog for extra walks.

 

Aim to walk for 30 minutes 3–4 times a week to get started. You can gradually increase the duration or frequency of your walks as you become more fit.

 

Summary Walking is a great exercise for beginners, as it can be done anywhere, doesn’t require equipment, and puts minimal stress on your joints. Try to incorporate more walks into your day-to-day activities.

 

 

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 staying indoors.

Not only is cycling great for weight loss, but studies have found that people who cycle regularly have better overall fitness, increased insulin sensitivity, and a lower risk of heart disease, cancer, and death, compared with those who don’t cycle regularly

Cycling is great for people of all fitness levels, from beginners to athletes. Plus, it’s a non-weight-bearing and low-impact exercise, so it won’t place much stress on your joints.

Summary Cycling is great for people of all fitness levels and can be done outdoors on a bicycle or indoors on a stationary bike. It has been linked to various health benefits, including increased insulin sensitivity and a reduced risk of certain chronic diseases.

6. Swimming

Swimming is a fun way to lose weight and get in shape.

It is estimated that a 155-pound (70-kg) person burns approximately 233 calories per half hour of swimming.

How you swim appears to affect how many calories you burn. Per 30 minutes, a 155-pound (70-kg) person burns 298 calories doing the backstroke, 372 calories doing breaststroke, 409 calories doing butterfly, and 372 calories treading water (5).

 

Another advantage of swimming is its low-impact nature, meaning that it’s easier on your joints. This makes it a great option for people who have injuries or joint pain.

 

Summary Swimming is a great low-impact exercise for people looking to lose weight. Moreover, it may help improve your flexibility and reduce risk factors for various diseases.

 

7. Yoga

Yoga is a popular way to exercise and relieve stress.

While it’s not commonly thought of as a weight loss exercise, it burns a fair amount of calories and offers many additional health benefits that can promote weight loss.

 

It is estimated that a 155-pound (70-kg) person burns around 149 calories per 30 minutes of practicing yoga (5).

Aside from burning calories, studies have shown that yoga can teach mindfulness, which can help you resist unhealthy foods, control overeating, and better understand your body’s hunger signals.

 

Most gyms offer yoga classes, but you can practice yoga anywhere. This includes from the comfort of your own home, as there are plenty of guided tutorials online.

 

Summary: Yoga is a great weight loss exercise that can be done nearly anywhere. It not only burns calories but also teaches you mindfulness to help you resist food cravings.

 

8. Pilates

Pilates is a great beginner-friendly exercise that may help you lose weight.

 

According to a study sponsored by the American Council on Exercise, a person weighing around 140 pounds (64 kg) would burn 108 calories at a 30-minute beginner’s Pilates class, or 168 calories at an advanced class of the same duration.

 

Although Pilates may not burn as many calories as aerobic exercises like running, many people find it enjoyable, which makes it easier to stick to overtime.

 

 

Besides weight loss, Pilates has been shown to reduce lower back pain and improve your strength, balance, flexibility, endurance, and overall fitness level.

If you’d like to give Pilates a go, try incorporating it into your weekly routine. You can do Pilates at home or one of the many gyms that offer Pilates classes.

To further boost weight loss with Pilates, combine it with a healthy diet or other forms of exercise, such as weight training or cardio.

Summary: Pilates is a great beginner-friendly exercise that can help you lose weight while improving other areas of your physical fitness, such as strength, balance, flexibility, and endurance.

How much weight can you realistically expect to lose?

How much weight you can expect to lose from exercise depends on many factors.

 

These include:

 

Starting weight. People who weigh more tend to shed more pounds than those who weigh

less. Still, the percentage of body weight lost is similar Age. Older people tend to carry more fat mass and less muscle mass, which reduces your RMR, or how many calories your body burns at rest. A lower RMR can make it more difficult to lose weight.

Gender. Women tend to have a more significant fat to muscle ratio than men, which can affect their RMR. As a result, men tend to lose weight quicker 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 losing weight.

Sleep Studies have found that a lack of sleep may slow 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 may affect certain people with obesity.

Although most people want to lose weight quickly, experts often recommend losing 1–3 pounds (0.5–1.36 kg), or approximately 1% of your body weight, per week.

 

Losing weighttoo fast can have negative health consequences. For example, it can result in muscle loss and increase your risk of conditions like gallstones, dehydration, fatigue, malnutrition, headaches, irritability, constipation, hair loss, and irregular periods.

 

What’s more, people who lose weight too fast are more prone to regaining it.

 

It’s important to keep in mind that weight loss is not a linear process, and it’s common to find yourself losing weight more quickly when you first get started.

 

Summary: Many factors affect how much weight you can realistically expect to lose with exercise. Most experts recommend losing 1–3 pounds (0.5–1.36 kg) per week, or approximately 1% of your body weight.

 

 

RUNNING

Whether you love or hate it, running is one of the best and simplest ways to burn calories—and you don't need a treadmill to do it. Just lace up your shoes and hit the road. Running in intervals—speeding up and slowing down your pace—will help make the minutes and miles go by quickly. Run in fartlek’s, which means speed play in Swedish, where you pick up the pace every other street lamp or water hydrant you hit, and then slow down after you pass the next one.

JUMP ROPE

If the last time you held a jump rope was in grade school, it’s time to get back into the swing of things. This calorie-busting workout can burn up to 318 calories (for a 140-pound woman) every 30 minutes—and your heart isn’t the only muscle that's working hard.

Jumping rope is a full-body workout. Fire up your quads and glutes to help you explode from the ground, and engage your core to keep you upright and stable as you land back down. Jumping rope also involves a little arm and shoulder action, as they remain tight while the rope movement comes from the wrists.

 

"Jumping rope is a great way to burn calories while improving cardiovascular health, all-over-toning, and coordination, and it will help build power while lowering your risk of injury,"

The bottom line many exercises can help you lose weight.

Some great choices for burning calories include walking, jogging, running, cycling, swimming, weight training, interval training, yoga, and Pilates.

That said, many other exercises can also help boost your weight loss efforts.

It’s most important to choose an exercise that you enjoy doing. This makes it more likely that you’ll stick to it long-term and see results.