What are the best exercises to lose weight quickly?
You can starve yourself with a harsh diet, but without exercise, you can’t really hope to make a significant change to your weight. Whatever your target weight is – 5 pounds or 50, you can lose your desired weight only with the combined efforts of healthy food and exercise.
This certainly doesn’t mean that you have to join a gym and spend a few vigorous hours every day exercising. Some of the simplest exercises that you can do in the comfort of your own home and neighbourhood can do miracles for your weight loss journey. So, it doesn’t matter if you have a very busy life with not more than an hour to spare every day, you can still reach your desired weight goal.
What are the best exercises to lose weight quickly? There are more than a few exercise types that you can choose from, each one good for weight loss, as well as your overall health and stamina.
- Walking
Walking is the easiest but also, one of the most effective exercises that you can start for losing weight. It’s completely free, doesn’t require you to join a gym or buy any equipment, and doesn’t take a long time or energy. You can even walk inside your home if you don’t have the opportunity to go out; walking also happens to be a low-impact exercise, which means that your joints are not going to face a lot of stress while walking. If you have a severely high BMI (body mass index) and you haven’t exercised in years, walking is the first step.
Now, walking doesn’t mean taking a leisurely stroll down your block; to walk for weight loss, you have to do it fast and hard. Your whole body needs to move when you take each step, and these should be at least 30-minute sessions. Standard walking sessions should last 30 minutes to 60 minutes each, and that’s more than enough to burn 167 to 300 calories.
If you can’t spare an hour to walk every day, you can try some practical alternatives: taking the stairs, walking your dog for an extra mile or two, taking your children out for a stroll, walk around the block while eating your lunch, walking half the distance to the office before taking a taxi/bus, etc.
- Running/Jogging/Power walking is the best exercises to lose weight quickly
These are the next step of walking; you burn more calories jogging, running and power walking, but you need to be just a little bit fitter for them. It’s better not to start these exercises on your first day; try walking for a few weeks, and then you can start something new.
You burn more calories by running than by jogging or power walking. However, in all three types of exercises, your full body gets a workout that can really help in shedding your extra weight. These exercises are especially effective for burning belly fat, and also reduce the chances of heart diseases and Type-II diabetes.
If you can’t run or jog outside, you can buy a treadmill for your home or for your office. 30 minutes on the treadmill every day can bring you to your desired weight very soon. Treadmills also have a soft cushioning which is smoother on your joints.
- Cycling
Cycling really is hitting two birds with one stone: you get a fuel-efficient mode of transportation and a loss of weight in the challenge. As a bonus, you won’t have to stay stuck in a traffic jam and save lots of time. Even when you are cycling at a steady rate, you are actually contributing to losing weight. Cycling is especially helpful in reducing your belly fat and the extra fat around the waist, as well as make you lean overall.
Cycling instead of taking a car or riding a bus can be one of the best decisions you make, for yourself and for the environment. In European countries, a large number of commuters prefer cycles instead of cars, contributing to their health, society and to nature.
- Swimming
Swimming is beneficial for your whole body, not just for losing weight. Your body endeavours to push against the water, and the more you push, the more you lose weight. Swimming is also recommended for people who have physical pain or suffers from joint pain. Swimming is perfect for people of all ages, even for people who don’t have the stamina to run or jog.
150 minutes of swimming per week is the recommended length for this exercise, for everyone from ages 19 to 64. Some exercise enthusiasts prefer to swim every day for at least an hour, but 5 days a week can be enough for significant weight loss.
On the other hand, swimming pools aren’t accessible to everyone all the time, not if you have a pool in your backyard. If that’s the situation, other forms of exercise can be just as beneficial.
- Pull-ups/Push-ups
Pull-ups aren’t for everyone, certainly not if you are new to exercise. You should only try doing pull-ups after you’ve built up your muscles running, jogging or walking for a few weeks. A few pull-ups every day, even assisted ones – can help in burning a significant number of calories. Don’t be disheartened if you can’t do a pull up yourself the first few times, even when you regularly exercise. It takes practice to be an expert in this.
A single pull-up utilizes every single muscle in your body, especially the back and the arms. If these are your problem areas that don’t lose weight by running or jogging, pull-ups might. You can easily install a pull-up bar on your doorways for a quick workout session during the day if you don’t want to hit the gym all the time.
Just like pull-ups, push-ups can also help lose weight. Push-ups too, require time and practice, and at first, help from a trainer. But after a few weeks of practice, you can do them on your own, and a few every day can help in reaching your desired goal.
Of course, there are a number of other exercises and workouts that you can try to lose weight, but these six happens to be the easiest and the most effective ones. No matter which one you try, it is important that you combine it with a healthy and balanced diet for the best and the quickest results.