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Facing difficulty losing weight is something most of the population has struggled with at some point in their lives. Individuals who choose to lose weight meet with many challenges. Weight loss can be quite challenging, and the disappointment when you don’t reach your goals can be a big discouragement. Nutrition, of course, plays a huge role in the journey of weight loss. But what about exercise? Should one stick to only cardio, or is weight training okay? And how much is too much?
While it is important to do lots of cardio if you wish to lose pounds, doing some weight training can also prove beneficial in speeding up that process and helping you maintain your muscle mass. If you’re confused about what cardio exercises work best, we’ve rounded up some of the best ways for you to shed fat and lose weight!
Best exercises to lose weight fast
1) Running
Perhaps the easiest exercise to do on this list. Running is something that comes naturally to almost everyone. It is a low-intensity, steady-state exercise, i.e. you maintain a certain pace for long periods, keeping your heart rate at a fixed level as you go. It is an effective exercise to burn fat, build muscular endurance, and keep your heart rate and breathing patterns healthy as well!
2) Cycling
Not just a fun activity for kids or an eco-friendly way to move around. Cycling and spinning have been shown to burn high amounts of calories, aiding with burning calories and, subsequently, weight loss.
It is another steady-state exercise, so the longer you perform, the more calories you can end up burning. You can experiment with various terrain and find something to challenge yourself, such as cycling up a hill. Adding variety is a good way to keep yourself motivated to exercise to lose weight.
3) Swimming
Everyone loves a nice dip in the pool. What makes it better is knowing how effective swimming is to lose weight. Swimming is an intense form of exercise that is known to torch calories. Isn’t that why swimmers are almost always hungry?
If you’re new to swimming, find a stroke that works for you and get comfortable with it. Certain strokes, such as the butterfly stroke, burn more calories than other styles.
4) HIIT
Who doesn’t love a good HIIT routine? It’s the best way to get sweaty and torch fat. Choose exercises that challenge you but are fairly easy for you to pull off. Add HIIT routines to your list 3 to 4 times a week to get the most out of it and lose weight. Remember not to do HIIT every day, as it can be rather intensive and drain you quickly or cause muscle fatigue when not given enough rest.
5) Jump rope
This is something most of us had as kids and still use now as a way to stay fit. Adding 500 to 1000 skips to your workout routine every day will show massive results over time. The intensity of your jumps is a determining factor of how many calories you can burn in one jump rope workout.
6) Strength training
Of course, strength training had to be on this list. It’s not just for building muscle! Sure, it does increase your muscle mass, but the more muscle you have, the more calories your body burns at rest. This means your potential to lose weight is higher as you end up burning more calories through the day! Strength training is also necessary to retain muscle mass as your body sheds pounds.
7) Plyometrics
If you really, really want to challenge yourself, you should give plyometrics a try. Plyometric exercises are short, intense exercises that use up a lot of energy, thereby burning more calories and helping you lose weight. These are more effective than steady-state cardio as they rely on anaerobic (without oxygen) processes within the body to fuel the intensity, burning more calories in the process. They are also effective in improving endurance!
So those are the best exercises you can do to lose weight! Try some of them out on your next day at the gym and watch those numbers on the scale drop over time! Don’t forget that it’s a journey filled with its own ups and downs. But if you work hard, eat clean, and get enough rest, you’ll achieve your goals in no time!
