Losing weight can be daunting task, with an overwhelming choice of methods, diets, and apparently miracle techniques. When it comes to increasing your physical activity and effectively controlling your weight, the best thing you can do is find exercises you enjoy and that can fit into your everyday life and a generally healthy lifestyle.
Here are just a few exercises you can try out to see what works for you to help supplement your weight-loss program, or if you’re just interested in increasing your activity and a feeling a bit healthier.
Circuit Training
By combining different high-intensity aerobic exercises, circuit training allows you to build up your endurance and condition your body through completing a group of exercises that target different parts of the body.
There are lots of different exercises out there to choose from, so you can work your way through a selection and find the ones which work best for you. This also allows you to minimise any stress on problem areas you may have, such as back pain or joint issues.
You can also add in exercises that combine muscle groups from around the body, typically referred to as compound exercises, such as mountain climbers and burpees. The benefit of these is that they are very efficient in terms of working your muscles and can help to burn fat due to the intense nature of the exercise.
Skipping
Although skipping can be integrated within circuit training, it can also be a great standalone compound exercise to help get your heartrate up at the start of a workout or in between strength exercises.
Skipping can improve your cardiovascular fitness and stamina while also bringing in leg strength and training for your balance. The resistance for this exercise is based off your own weight, so if you weigh a little more than average then skipping can help scale the exercise relevant to your body.
It’s important to ensure you’re wearing the right footwear with cushioned soles and good grip as this is a high-impact activity, meaning you’ll need support to help minimise any issues you could face. There are lots of variations on skipping you can introduce as you improve which can make the exercise even more intense and help burn even more calories.
Swimming
If you’re worried about the impact some exercises may have on your joints then swimming might be the activity for you. As a comparatively low-impact exercise, swimming is a fantastic option for keeping fit while the water supports your body.
Swimming involves moving lots of different muscle groups around the body to propel you against the resistance of the water, helping to build up muscle strength, cardiovascular fitness and your overall endurance. You can also use different swimming strokes to find the one that works best for you and allows you to avoid movements which cause issues for you.
This total-body workout can also work brilliantly for those who’re looking to exercise and keep weight off after a joint replacement, as the support from the water helps to take some of the stress off your body, but it’s important to consult your doctor first.
Rowing
Another useful full body workout can be achieved through rowing, utilising nine of your major muscle groups from your hamstrings to your core, back and more. Indoor rowing also has the advantage of being a low impact and non-weight bearing exercise.
The intensity of this exercise comes from the resistance from the rowing machine and the pace at which you aim to move, so it can vary a fair bit in terms of how many calories you burn over the course of a session. However, because your whole body is working to produce the rowing motion, it’s still an effective fat burning exercise.
Whilst rowing is predominantly a cardiovascular exercise, you will still be toning your muscles by increasing the resistance and helping to strengthen your body over time. This will allow you to row for longer and at a more consistent pace, helping you burn even more calories.
By sticking with a proper weight-loss program alongside adjustments to your diet, you should be able to lose weight in a healthy way. However, if you’re unable to achieve change through a more active lifestyle and you’re struggling to lose weight then it may be worth looking into the options available for weight-loss surgery.