Every year, it is believed that half of all American adults try to lose weight (1).
Aside from dieting, one of the most prevalent tactics used by persons attempting to lose weight is exercise. It burns calories, which is essential for weight loss.
Exercise has been linked to numerous additional advantages, including increased mood, stronger bones, and a lower chance of several chronic diseases, in addition to helping you lose weight (2, 3, 4).
Here are the top eight weight loss exercises.
1. Walking
Walking is one of the most effective weight loss exercises, and for a good reason.
It’s a quick and straightforward approach for novices to begin exercising without feeling overwhelmed or having to buy expensive equipment. It’s also a low-impact exercise, which is gentle on your joints.
According to Harvard Health, a 155-pound (70-kg) individual burns around 167 calories every 30 minutes of moderate walking at a speed of 4 mph (6.4 km/h) (5).
Walking for 50-70 minutes three times per week for 12 weeks decreased body fat and waist circumference by an average of 1.5 percent and 1.1 inches (2.8 cm), respectively, in 20 obese women (6).
Walking is simple to incorporate into your regular schedule. Try walking during your lunch break, climbing the stairs at work, or bringing your dog for extra walks to get more steps in.
To begin, strive to walk for 30 minutes three to four times a week. As you gain fitness, you can gradually increase the length or frequency of your walks.
2. Jogging or running
Jogging and running are excellent weight loss exercises.
Although they appear to be the same, the main distinction is that a jogging speed is often between 4-6 mph (6.4-9.7 km/h), and a running pace is more significant than six mph (9.7 km/h).
A 155-pound (70-kg) individual burns around 298 calories per 30 minutes of jogging at a 5-mph (8-km/h) speed, or 372 calories per 30 minutes of running at a 6-mph (9.7-km/h) pace, according to Harvard Health (5).
Furthermore, research has shown that jogging and running can help burn dangerous visceral fat, sometimes called belly fat. This fat encircles your internal organs and has been related to chronic ailments such as heart disease and diabetes (7, 8, 9).
Running and jogging are excellent activities that can be done anywhere and are simple to add to your weekly regimen. Begin with jogging for 20-30 minutes three to four times a week.
If jogging or running outside hurts your joints, consider running on softer terrain like grass. Furthermore, many treadmills include built-in padding, which may be gentler on your joints.
3. Cycling
Cycling is a popular exercise that increases fitness and can aid in weight loss.
Cycling is generally done outside; however, many gyms and fitness facilities include stationary bikes that allow you to ride while remaining indoors.
A 155-pound (70-kg) individual burns around 260 calories per 30 minutes of riding at a moderate speed on a stationary bike, or 298 calories per 30 minutes of cycling at a moderate pace of 12-13.9 mph (19-22.4 km/h) on a bicycle (5).
Cycling is not only beneficial for weight loss, but studies have shown that those who cycle daily have more excellent overall fitness, increased insulin sensitivity, and a decreased risk of heart disease, cancer, and mortality when compared to those who do not cycle regularly (10, 11).
Cycling benefits people of all fitness levels, from novices to elite athletes. It’s also a non-weight-bearing, low-impact workout that won’t put too much strain on your joints.
4. Weight training
People who want to lose weight often choose weight training.
According to Harvard Health, a 155-pound (70-kg) individual burns around 112 calories every 30 minutes of weight exercise (5).
Weight training can also help you gain strength and encourage muscular growth, increasing your resting metabolic rate (RMR) or the number of calories your body burns at rest (12).
One 6-month study found that conducting 11 minutes of strength-based activities three times per week resulted in an average 7.4 percent improvement in metabolic rate. This increase was comparable to burning an additional 125 calories per day in this research (13).
Another study discovered that 24 weeks of weight training resulted in a 9% increase in males’ metabolic rate, equating to around 140 extra calories burned each day. The increase in metabolic rate among women was roughly 4%, or 50 extra calories per day (14).
Furthermore, compared to aerobic exercise, multiple studies have shown that your body continues to burn calories for many hours after a weight-training activity (15, 16, 17).
5. Interval training
Interval training, often known as high-intensity interval training (HIIT), is a general phrase that refers to brief bursts of intensive activity followed by rest intervals.
A HIIT workout usually lasts 10-30 minutes and may burn many calories.
One research of 9 active males discovered that HIIT burnt 25-30% more calories per minute than other activities such as weight training, cycling, and treadmill jogging (18).
That is, HIIT can help you burn more calories while exercising in less time.
Furthermore, multiple studies have demonstrated that HIIT is particularly efficient in burning belly fat related to various chronic conditions (19, 20, 21).
HIIT is simple to include in your exercise program. You must select an activity, such as running, jumping, or biking, as well as your exercise and rest durations.
For example, cycle as hard as you can on a bike for 30 seconds, then peddle slowly for 1-2 minutes. This sequence should be repeated for 10-30 minutes.
6. Swimming
Swimming is a pleasant method to exercise and lose weight.
According to Harvard Health, a 155-pound (70-kg) individual burns roughly 233 calories each half-hour of swimming.
The amount of calories you burn appears to be affected by how you swim. A 155-pound (70-kg) individual consumes 298 calories every 30 minutes of backstroke, 372 calories of breaststroke, 409 calories of butterfly, and 372 calories of treading water (5).
Swimming for 60 minutes three times per week for 12 weeks dramatically decreased body fat, increased flexibility, and lowered various heart disease risk factors, including high total cholesterol and blood triglycerides, according to one 12-week research of 24 middle-aged women (22).
Swimming also has the advantage of being low-impact, which makes exercise gentler on your joints. This makes it an excellent choice for anyone suffering from injuries or joint discomfort.
7. Yoga
Yoga is a popular form of exercise and stress relief.
While swimming is not typically viewed as walking as a weight loss activity, it can burn a significant number of calories and has several extra health advantages that can help with weight loss.
According to Harvard Health, a 155-pound (70-kg) individual burns around 149 calories every 30 minutes of yoga practice (5).
A 12-week study of 60 obese women revealed that those who engaged in two 90-minute yoga sessions per week had higher waist circumference reductions than those in the control group — by 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) on average (23).
Furthermore, the yoga group’s emotional and physical well-being improved (23).
Yoga may teach mindfulness, which can help you avoid bad meals, regulate overeating, and better understand your body’s hunger signals, in addition to burning calories (24, 25).
Yoga courses are available at most gyms, but you may practice yoga anywhere. This includes working from home, as several guided lessons are available online.
8. Pilates
Pilates is an excellent beginner-friendly exercise that may assist you in losing weight.
An individual weighing roughly 140 pounds (64 kg) would burn 108 calories in a 30-minute beginner’s Pilates session or 168 calories in a 30-minute intermediate class, according to research sponsored by the American Council on Exercise (26).
Although Pilates may not burn as many calories as cardio workouts such as jogging, many individuals love it, making it easier to keep to over time (27).
An 8-week study of 37 middle-aged women discovered that doing Pilates movements for 90 minutes three times per week significantly reduced waist, stomach, and hip circumference compared to a control group that performed no exercise during the same period (28).
Pilates has been proved to increase your strength, balance, flexibility, endurance, and general fitness level in addition to weight loss (27, 29, 30).
If you want to attempt Pilates, consider adding it to your weekly schedule. Pilates may be done at home or at one of the numerous gyms that offer Pilates lessons.
Combine Pilates with a healthy diet or other types of exercise, such as weight training or cardio, to accelerate weight loss even more.
How much weight can you realistically expect to lose?
The amount of weight you might anticipate losing via exercise is determined by various factors.
These are some examples:
- Weight at the start. People who weigh more tend to lose more weight than those who weigh less. Nonetheless, the proportion of body weight loss is comparable (31).
- Age. Older adults have more significant fat and less muscle mass, which lowers your RMR or the number of calories your body burns at rest. A decreased RMR might make losing weight challenging (32, 33).
- Gender. Women have a higher fat-to-muscle ratio than males, which might impact RMR. As a result, even if they consume the same calories, males tend to lose weight faster than women (32).
- Diet. When you burn more calories than you ingest, you lose weight.
As a result, reducing weight requires a calorie deficit (34). - Sleep. According to research, a lack of sleep might impede your weight loss and possibly increase your desire for unhealthy foods (35, 36).
- Medical problems. People suffering from medical disorders such as depression and hypothyroidism may lose weight more slowly (31, 37, 38).
- Genetics. Weight loss has a hereditary component, according to studies, which may impact some obese persons (31).
Although most individuals desire to lose weight rapidly, experts frequently recommend shedding 1-3 pounds (0.5-1.36 kg) every week, or around 1% of your body weight (39).
Rapid weight loss might be harmful to one’s health. It can, for example, cause muscle loss and raise your risk of gallstones, dehydration, exhaustion, starvation, migraines, irritability, constipation, hair loss, and irregular periods (40, 41).
Furthermore, persons who lose weight too quickly are more likely to regain it (42).
It’s crucial to remember that weight loss is not a linear process, and it’s usual to lose weight more quickly when you start.
The bottom line
Many exercises might assist you in losing weight.
Walking, jogging, running, cycling, swimming, weight training, interval training, yoga, and Pilates are all excellent ways to burn calories.
Numerous other workouts can also help you lose weight.
It is critical to select an activity that you love. This increases the likelihood that you will continue with it long-term and experience benefits.
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