Most of us struggle to find the right approach for losing weight. And must of realize it takes a combination of diet and exercise.
I’m struggling to find an approach to weight loss that actually works. I realize it’s going to take a combination of diet and exercise. Now, I’m wondering what exercise should I do for weight loss? Which is going to be the most effective exercise for burning calories?
What Exercise Should I Do for Weight Loss?
There are myriad options out there like running, cycling, cardio machines, weight training, and more. Determining the optimal workout plan for sustainable weight loss can be tricky and depend on your current fitness level, available time, access to equipment, and personal preferences.
In this post, I’ll outline the pros and cons of some of the most popular forms of exercise for dropping pounds and keeping them off. We’ll explore how activities like walking, jogging, swimming, strength training, HIIT workouts, and more can impact calories burned.
Weighing factors like efficiency and practicality, I’ll make recommendations for the best types of workouts to incorporate based on your situation and fitness goals.
The key is choosing cardio and strength training exercises you find enjoyable and sustainable. Combining this with appropriate dietary changes tailored to your needs, you’ll be armed with a plan for long-term weight loss success.
Let’s review why exercise matters for shedding extra pounds and which options may work best in your regimen.
Why Exercise for Weight Loss?
Before covering specific workouts, let’s first review why exercise is so integral to any weight loss plan. While cutting calories via diet is crucial, adding exercise provides immense benefits:
- Burns additional calories to create a bigger daily deficit
- Rev up your metabolism so you burn more calories at rest
- Preserves or even builds calorie-burning muscle mass
- Improves cardiovascular health and endurance
- Boosts energy levels and mood
Without exercise, there’s a good chance you’ll feel tired, sluggish and struggle to stay consistent. But adding movement provides a key boost both physically and mentally.
Which Exercise Is Best for Losing Weight?
Now let’s explore types of exercise Properly tailored to your current fitness to maximize fat burning and sustainability.
Walking
First, we have walking – the most basic cardio activity that anyone can incorporate regardless of fitness level.
Low impact and convenient for most schedules, walking modestly taxes the cardiovascular system while burning up to 300 calories per hour.
This makes it perfect for beginners establishing consistency first before progressing to more intense training.
Build up from taking short 15-minute walks to fast-paced 45 to 60 minutes sessions 4 to 5 days a week. This regime alone can burn significant fat when combined with a modest calorie deficit.
Jogging/Running
Once you’re comfortable walking longer distances, up the intensity with jogging and running.
This ratchets up calorie burn to 600 or more per hour at modest paces.
While harder on joints, the impact is less compared to court sports and the like.
Walking to Jogging
Most people work up from walking to jogging by walking 2-3 minutes then jogging 1-3 minutes then walking then jogging. As you practice this alternating method, you will naturally begin to jog further and walk less until you simply progress from a walker to a jogger.
Jogging to Running
Jogging is not running. Most people probably stay at a comfortable jog and never enter the world of runners.
However, as a jogger you may find yourself with the undeniable urge to run. But, remember-running is not sprinting. And sprinting will not have anything to do with a weight loss diet.
Back to running.
You go from jogging to running the same as you did from walking to jogging. Simple jog for several minutes, and switch to running for several minutes and then merely keep doing that until you’ve passed the jogging and are now a runner.
Whether you’re going from walking to jogging or jogging to running, just remember we’re not talking about immediate results. It may take a couple of days, weeks, or months.
Lifelong runners and other athletes partly owe their trim physiques to this efficient calorie scorcher. Use running along with walking as an exercise base before adding supplemental training.
The key is choosing cardio and strength training exercises you find enjoyable and sustainable long-term. We’ll cover more great options to burn fat and transform your body.
Swimming
Another top-tier form of cardio is swimming. The buoyancy of water reduces joint impact while still allowing for vigorous exertion.
An hour-long casual swim can shred up to 500 calories, with more intense laps burning 700 or more.
With minimal equipment needed beyond a bathing suit and goggles, it provides variety when cross-training with other activities.
The cool water is also refreshing on hot days. Though requiring access to a pool, swimming is one of the most effective and low-impact activities.
HIIT
For maximizing calorie burn in condensed timeframes, high intensity interval training (HIIT) reigns supreme.
Alternating intense bursts of cardio like sprinting or fast cycling with short rest periods, it torches fat and accelerates metabolism like no other workout.
Just 20-30 minutes can burn comparable calories to hours of lower intensity exercise. While demanding, the short work periods combined with sense of accomplishment make it time-efficient and easier to stick with.
Strength Training
Resistance or strength training is crucial for enhancing metabolism, preserving calorie-burning muscle while losing fat, and boosting fitness to enhance other workouts.
Lifting weights 2 to 4 days weekly remains imperative for supporting weight loss and body transformation.
Squats, lunges, chest presses, rows, and core exercises using machines, free weights, resistance bands or even just bodyweight provide huge benefits. Remember – more muscle mass means burning more calories 24/7!
In summary, while diet dictates overall weight reduction, well-chosen exercise accelerates fat loss. Use a diverse mix of walking, running, swimming, HIIT, weights and activity you enjoy to redesign your physique. Consistency and sustainability matter most – so track progress but adopt a lifestyle you can adhere to lifelong!
Creating Your Exercise Plan
Now that we’ve covered effective training modalities, let’s outline some guidelines for structuring your workout plan:
Where to Start
Beginners should establish consistency first with lower intensity but longer duration cardio like walking.
Start with 15-30 minutes at light effort 3 times weekly and gradually increase duration.
This enhances cardiovascular capacity while allowing the body to adapt without overtraining risk. Once you are able to walk an hour comfortably, look to add jogging/running intervals before switching completely at your own pace.
Ramping Up
For more advanced fitness levels, use higher intensity training like HIIT, running, swimming etc. as your cardio base for enhanced calorie burn.
Start with 20-30 minutes 2-3 times weekly focusing on max effort during the intense intervals.
Then gradually extend durations closer to an hour over time as able.
Incorporating Strength Training
Regardless of current conditioning, Include resistance training 2-4 days per week focusing on major muscle groups.
Start with lighter weights and higher reps, progressing over time to heavier weights and 6-12 rep ranges for maximizing strength and metabolic benefits.
Use machines, free weights, resistance bands or even just bodyweight training.
Listen to Your Body
As you ramp up durations, intensity, weight levels etc., carefully listen to body feedback. Soreness and fatigue from new training is normal, but pain warrants attention and adjustment.
Modify workouts based on energy, recovery and any nagging aches that could signal injury. Patience is key – progress will come!
Additional Tips
In terms of maximizing fat burning potential, utilize the “fat burning zone” – around 60-70% max heart rate for steady state cardio.
Also, increase meal protein intake and overall nutrition to fuel workouts and recovery. Supplement with BCAAs and glutamine to ease muscle soreness as needed.
Conclusion
Reaching your weight loss goals demands a multi-pronged approach combining proper nutrition with an exercise regimen personalized for your needs and lifestyle.
Determining the right training modalities and appropriate intensities allows you to maximize fat burning while having greater adherence thanks to enjoyment and manageability.
Still wondering which exercise is most effective for weight loss?
Use a diverse mix of cardiovascular work like walking, jogging, swimming and HIIT along with resistance training to achieve an enhanced physique along with whole-body fitness.
Experiment with different activities, durations and parameters to discover your optimum strategy. Invest time upfront to track progress and iterate your plan accordingly based on energy levels, schedule and seeing the numbers on the scale tick downwards.
Staying Positive
While the journey can be undoubtedly challenging, embracing new fitness habits ultimately pays massive dividends both physically and mentally.
As your fitness improves consistently month to month, you’ll feel unstoppable momentum to keep progressing.
Coupled with welcomed body transformations, your self-image and confidence will reach exciting new heights. And you’ll carry these positive lifestyle changes well beyond reaching your weight loss goals.
So stay patient in the process, customize an approach best aligned to your needs and remain focused on creating healthy behaviors for the long haul. The new you awaits! Just stick to the plan and execute day in and day out. You’ve totally got this!