The 6 Best Exercises for Weight Loss

It’s figured that half of all American adults attempt to lose weight each year.

Apart from dieting, exercising is one of the most usual strategies employed by those trying to shed extra weights. It burns calories, and this plays a key role in weight loss.

In addition to helping you lose weight, exercise has been connected to multiple other benefits, including improved mood, more powerful bones, and a reduced chance of many chronic diseases.

Here are 8 best exercises for weight loss.

1. Walking

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

It’s convenient and an easygoing way for beginners to start exercising out feeling overwhelmed or needing to purchase equipment. Also, it’s a lower- influence exercise, meaning it doesn’t stress your joints.

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

A 12-week study in 20 women with obesity found that walking for 50–70 minutes 3 times per week reduced body fat and waist circumference by an average of 1.5% and 1.1 inches (2.8 cm), respectively.

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

To get started, aim to walk for 25 minutes 3–4 times per week. 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.

2. Jogging or running

Jogging and running are amazing exercises to help you lose weight.

Although they seem similar, the key difference is that a jogging pace is generally between 4–6 mph (6.4–9.7 km/h), while a running pace is faster than 6 mph (9.7 km/h).

Harvard Health estimates that a 155-pound (70-kg) person burns approximately 298 calories per 30 minutes of jogging at a 5-mph (8-km/h) pace, or 372 calories per 30 minutes of running at a 6-mph (9.7-km/h) pace.

What’s more, studies have discovered that jogging and running can improve burn harmful visceral fat, commonly known as belly fat. This type of fat wraps around your internal organs and has been linked to various chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes.

Both jogging and running are amazing exercises that can be taken anyplace and are easy to incorporate through to your weekly routine. To get started, try to jog for 20–30 minutes 3–4 times by week.

If you find jogging or running outdoors to be hard on your joints, try running on softer surfaces like grass. Also, many treadmills have built-in cushioning, which may be easier on your joints.

SUMMARY

Jogging and running are great exercises for weight loss that are easy to incorporate into your weekly routine. They can also help burn belly fat, which is linked to many chronic diseases.

3. Cycling

Cycling is a successful exercise that improves your fitness and can benefit you to lose weight.

Although cycling is traditionally done without, many gyms and fitness centers have stationary bikes that provide you to cycle while staying indoors.

Harvard Health estimates that a 155-pound (70-kg) person burns around 260 calories per 30 minutes of cycling on a stationary bike at a moderate pace, or 298 calories per 30 minutes on a bicycle at a moderate pace of 12–13.9 mph (19–22.4 km/h).

Not only is cycling great for weight loss but researches have found that people who cycle usually have greater 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 good for people of all fitness levels, from beginners to professionals. Plus, it’s a non-weight-bearing and low-impact exercise, so it won’t place important 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.

4. Weight training

Weight exercise is a popular option for people looking to lose weight.

According to Harvard Health, it’s estimated that a 155-pound (70-kg) a person burns roughly 112 calories per 30 minutes of weight training.

Also, weight training can help you build strength and promote muscle growth, which can raise your resting metabolic rate (RMR), or how many calories your body burns at rest.

One 6-month study showed that simply doing 11 minutes of strength-based exercises 3 times per week resulted in a 7.4% increase in metabolic rate, on average. In this study, that increase was equivalent to burning an additional 125 calories per day.

Another study found that 24 weeks of weight training led to a 9% increase in metabolic rate among men, which equated to burning approximately 140 more calories per day. Among women, the increase in metabolic rate was nearly 4% or 50 more calories per day.

Besides, numerous studies have shown that your body continues to burn calories many hours after a weight-training workout, compared with aerobic exercise.

SUMMARY

Weight exercises can help you lose weight by burning calories during and next to your workout. It may more help you build muscle mass, which raises your resting metabolic rate the number of calories you're the body burns at rest.

5. Swimming

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

Harvard Health estimates that a 155-pound (70-kg) person burns approximately 233 calories per half hour of swimming.

How you swim seems 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.

One 12-week study in 24 middle-aged women found that swimming for 60 minutes 3 times per week significantly reduced body fat, improved flexibility, and reduced several heart disease risk factors, including high total cholesterol and blood triglycerides.

An extra benefit of swimming is its low- result nature, meaning that it’s softer 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.

6. Yoga

Yoga is a popular way to exercise and relieve stress.

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

Harvard Health estimates that a 155-pound (70-kg) person burns around 149 calories per 30 minutes of practicing yoga.

A 12-week study in 60 women with obesity found that those who participated in two 90-minute yoga sessions per week experienced greater reductions in waist circumference than those in the control group by 1.5 inches (3.8 cm), on average.

Additionally, the yoga club experienced improvements in cerebral and physical well-being.

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 give yoga classes, but you can follow 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.

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.