In addition to dieting, exercising is one of the most common ways people shed extra pounds. While exercise can help you achieve your weight loss goals by burning calories and body fat, it also provides long-term benefits, like lowering your risk for heart disease, diabetes and obesity. Whether you're trying to lose weight or just maintain it, try incorporating one or more of these exercises into your daily routine. You'll feel better, both physically and mentally.
An easy exercise for beginners, walking is also low-impact, meaning it doesn't stress your joints. To add more steps to your day, try walking during your lunch break, taking the stairs at work, or parking further away from your office doors.
Both jogging and running are great exercises that can be done anywhere and are easy to incorporate into your daily routine. They can also help burn belly fat, which is linked to many chronic diseases. If jogging or running outdoors is too hard on you joints, try running on softer surfaces, like grass. Many treadmills also have built-in cushioning.
Cycling is a low-impact exercise and great for people of all fitness levels. It 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.
Weight training can help you lose weight by burning calories during and after your workout. It also may help you build muscle mass, which raises your resting metabolic rate, which is the number of calories your body burns at rest.
"HIIT," also known as high-intensity interval training, refers to short bursts of intense exercise that alternate with recovery periods. To start, pick an exercise like running, jumping, or biking. Perform the exercise as as hard as you can for 30 seconds followed by a recovery pace for 1-2 minutes. Repeat the pattern for 10-30 minutes.
Swimming is a great low-impact exercise for people who have injuries or joint pain. Swimming can help reduce body fat and several heart disease risk factors, including high cholesterol and triglycerides. Swimming may also increase flexibility.
Aside from burning calories, yoga is a great exercise because it can teach mindfulness, which can help you resist unhealthy foods, control overeating, and become more in tune with your eating habits. Most gyms offer yoga classes, but you can also practice yoga anywhere, as there are plenty of guided tutorials online.