8 best slimming exercises
It is calculated that half of adult Americans try to lose weight every year.
Besides diet, exercise is one of the most common strategies used by those who try to lose extra pounds. It burns calories, and this plays a key role in weight loss.
In addition to helping people lose weight, physical exercise has 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. Walking
Walking is one of the best exercises for weight loss - and for good reason.
It is a convenient and easy way for beginners to start training without feeling overloaded and without buying equipment. It's also a less stressful exercise, which means your joints aren't stressed.
According to Harvard Health, a 70 kg (155 lb) person at moderate speeds of 6.4 km/h (4 miles per hour) burns about 167 calories in 30 minutes on foot.
A 12-week study of 20 obese women found that walking for 50-70 minutes three times a week reduced body fat and waist circumference by an average of 1.5% and 1.1 inch (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, climbing the stairs to work or taking your dog for extra walks.
To get started, walk for 30 minutes 3-4 times a week. You can gradually increase the length or frequency of your walks as you get slimmer.
2. Jogging
Jogging and running are great exercises that help you lose weight.
Although they seem similar, the main difference is that running speed is generally between 6.4 and 9.7 km/h (4-6 mph), while running speed is faster than 9.7 km/h (6 mph).
Harvard Health estimates that a 70 kg (155 lb) person at 8 km/h (5) burns about 298 calories in a 30 minute run or 372 calories in a 30 minute run at 9.7 km/h (5).
In addition, studies have shown that jogging and running can help burn harmful visceral fat, commonly known as abdominal fat. This type of fat wrap around your internal organs has been associated with several chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.
Both jogging and running are great exercises that can be done anywhere and are easily integrated into your weekly routine. To get started, aim for a 20-30 minute run 3-4 times a week.
If you find jogging or running outside is easy on your joints, try running on softer ground like grass. In addition, many treadmills have built-in shock absorption, which can be gentle on joints.
3. Cycle Riding
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 centres have stationary bikes that allow you to ride indoors.
Harvard Health estimates that a 70 kg (155 lb) person burns about 260 calories per 30 minutes on a stationary bike at moderate speed, or 298 calories per 30 minutes on a bicycle at moderate speed of 12-13.9 miles per hour (19-22.4 km/h).
Not only is cycling a great way to lose weight, but studies have shown that people who ride regularly have better overall fitness, higher insulin sensitivity and lower risk of heart disease, cancer and death than people who do not ride regularly.
Cycling is suitable for people at all levels of physical fitness, from beginners to athletes. In addition, it is an effortless exercise with minimal impact on the joints, so as not to subject them to heavy loads.
4. Strength Training
Weight training is a popular choice for people who want to lose weight.
According to Harvard Health, a person weighing 70 kg (155 lbs) burns about 112 calories in 30 minutes of power training.
Weight training can also help you gain strength and promote muscle growth, which can increase your rate of metabolism at rest (RMR) or the number of calories your body burns at rest.
A six-month study showed that simply doing 11 minutes of strength exercise three times a week resulted in an average increase in your BMR of 7.4%. In this study, this increase was equivalent to burning an additional 125 calories per day.
Another study found that 24 weeks of strength exercise for men resulted in a 9% increase in metabolic rate, equivalent to burning about 140 extra calories per day. In women, the increase in metabolic rate was almost 4% or 50 calories more per day.
In addition, numerous studies have shown that the body continues to burn calories for many hours after strength training compared to aerobic exercise.
5. Interval Training
Interval Training, better known as Interval High-Intensity Training (HIIT), is a broad term that refers to short intensive workouts that alternate with regenerative periods.
Usually, a HIIT workout lasts 10-30 minutes and can burn many calories.
A study of 9 active men found that HIIT burns 25-30% more calories per minute compared to other types of exercise including strength training, cycling and treadmill running.
This means that the HIIT can help you burn more calories with less training time.
In addition, numerous studies have shown that HIIT is particularly effective at burning abdominal fat, which is associated with many chronic diseases.
The HIIT can be easily integrated into your workout program. All you need to do is choose your exercise type, such as running, jumping or cycling, and your exercise and rest periods.
For example, press your bike as hard as possible for 30 seconds and then 1-2 minutes of slow pedaling. Repeat this pattern for 10-30 minutes.
6. Swimming
Swimming is a fun way to lose weight and get in shape.
Harvard Health estimates that a person weighing 70 kg (155 lbs) burns about 233 calories in half an hour of swimming.
It seems that the way you swim affects how many calories you burn. For every 30 minutes a 70 kg (155 lb) person burns 298 calories when swimming backwards, 372 calories when swimming backwards, 409 calories when swimming butterflies and 372 calories when passing water.
In a 12-week study of 24 middle-aged women, swimming 60 minutes three times a week significantly reduces body fat, improves flexibility and reduces various heart disease risk factors, including high total cholesterol and high blood triglyceride levels.
Another advantage of swimming is that it is less stressful, which means that the joints are easily affected. This makes it an excellent option for people with injuries or joint pain.
7. Yoga
Yoga is a popular way to exercise and reduce stress.
Although not usually considered a weight loss exercise, it does burn significant amounts of calories and offers many additional health benefits that can contribute to weight loss.
Harvard Health estimates that a person weighing 70 kg (155 lbs) burns about 149 calories in 30 minutes of yoga practice.
A 12-week study of 60 obese women found that those who participated in two 90-minute yoga sessions per week showed a greater reduction in waist circumference than those in the control group, averaging 3.8 cm (1.5 inches).
There were also improvements in mental and physical well-being in the yoga group.
In addition to burning calories, research has shown that yoga can teach you to be alert, which can help you resist unhealthy food, control over-eating and better understand the hunger signals of your body.
Most gyms offer yoga classes, but you can practice yoga anywhere you want. You can do this from the comfort of your home as there are many online classes with a guide.
8. Pilates
Pilates is a great, beginner-friendly exercise to help you lose weight.
According to a study sponsored by the American Physical Exercise Council, a person weighing about 140 pounds (64 kg) will burn 108 calories in the 30-minute Pilates Beginner Class, or 168 calories in the Advanced Class of the same duration.
Although pilates may not burn as many calories as aerobic exercises such as running, many people find it pleasing so it is easier to maintain over time.
In an 8-week study of 37 middle-aged women, it was found that doing pilates three times over 90 minutes a week significantly reduced the circumference of the waist, abdomen and hip compared to a control group that did not exercise during the same period.
In addition to weight loss, Pilates has been shown to reduce lower back pain and improve strength, balance, flexibility, endurance and overall fitness levels.
If you want to try Pilates, try to integrate it into your weekly routine. You can practice pilates at home or in one of the many pilates gyms.
To further contribute to weight loss in pilates, combine it with a healthy diet or other forms of exercise, such as weight training or cardio training.
