Types of Exercises to Lose Weight and Keep It Off
Do you often wonder, watching other people exercise early in the morning (or in the evening) – walking, jogging, cycling – how they squeeze out time for it?
Have you ever questioned yourself – why some individuals are so focused on their exercise regimes while you struggle to decide when to get started? (I know you want to!)
Well, you will keep wondering and questioning unless you experience it for yourself – “the high” after exercising.
In this fast-paced and digitized world where we are always trying to cope with the changes coming our way, our lifestyles have taken a paradigm shift. We have gone from being active – to inactive – to sedentary.
The app stores and mobile devices are full of gadgets providing us with markers of our activity levels and pushing us reminders to move. But you can’t help and remain glued to the screen (either because of serious work commitments or because of mobile addiction!)
Pause. Slow down, reflect…and understand. We “Sapiens” are blessed to be born in this age of maximum comforts and revolutionary technology. While we are relishing these technologies’ comforts, we should find time for the most realistic thing we possess- OUR BODY!
The human body is meant for locomotion (movement). The more sedentary you become, the more it impacts your body. Hence, the term “exercise should also be treated as medicine” had come into existence. Exercise imparts remarkable benefits to your body. If you wish to live not just long but also healthy, Physical Activity & Exercise should be your “Fitness Nectar”.
Health Benefits OF Exercises:
The health benefits of exercise range from getting stronger bones and joints, improving mood and hormones to preventing chronic lifestyle diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension and much more.
The Harvard Alumni Study conducted on 17000 Harvard Alumni provided evidence that moderate aerobic exercise (jogging/cycling etc.), 3 miles every day, promotes good health and adds years to your life. It was seen that regular exercise–
- Reversed the effects of smoking and obesity
- Reduced mortality rates among individuals suffering from hypertension
- Improved survival rates by 25 % in people below 65 are genetically prone to have a shorter life span
A sedentary lifestyle is considered a potent predictor of heart diseases and mortality. Studies have shown that brisk walking for 2.5 hours weekly (especially in post-menopausal women) reduces heart disease risk by 30 %. This reduction is equal to the results achieved by cholesterol-lowering drugs. Hence, it would help if you started considering exercise as a better option over medication.
Understanding the basics of exercises– Exercises include a lot of components and variabilities. Strengthening, stretching, balancing, aerobic exercises will help you to be active, mobile and fit.
Best Exercises to Lose Weight:
1. Aerobic Exercises:
Aerobics is the best and easy exercise for weight loss. It also helps in cardiac conditioning – improving heart rate and breathing. It improves lung functioning (known as cardiorespiratory endurance). These exercises also improve your:
- Peripheral resistance
- Reduce blood pressure
- Improve cardiovascular endurance
- Lower blood sugar levels
- Release happy hormones
- Improve overall health
Some aerobic exercises include activities like – brisk walking, jogging, intermittent cardio, elliptical, cycling, swimming or as simple as stairs climbing. According to the International Guidelines – you should aim for at least 150 min of aerobic activity per week. This is considered to be a moderate intensity of aerobic exercises.
2. Strength Training:
Strength training is an effective way to lose weight and improve overall health. It works on all the major and minor muscles of your full body. Your body is a locomotion unit that moves with the help of your muscles. But as you age, you lose muscle mass.
Regular strength training helps prevent muscle mass loss, giving your body optimum strength to perform its daily functions. It makes you feel energetic, keeps your bones and joints strong and also helps in maintain weight, improving posture and balance.
A qualified Physical Therapist can help design a strength training protocol after a primary assessment to understand your muscular strength status.
Aim for at least 30-45 minutes of strength training for your body’s major & minor muscles at least 3 days/week. A home exercise plan can be easily designed using simple exercise equipment like – dumbbells, TheraBand’s, medicine balls or your own body weight.
You will feel some fatigue or soreness after exercise. This means you have exercised effectively and optimally on all your muscles.
3. Walking
Walking is an excellent exercise for weight loss because it burns more calories per minute than running or jogging. Walking is a great way to burn calories and lose weight. It also helps build muscle mass and improves cardiovascular fitness.
If you walk for 30 minutes every day, you will burn approximately 300 calories. This means that you will lose one pound of fat each week. You can also burn up to 50 calories by walking uphill.
4. Cycling
It’s also one of the best exercises for losing weight. You can ride at any speed. If you’re looking to lose weight, you need to make sure you’re riding fast enough to work up a sweat.
In fact, you burn more calories while cycling than running, swimming, rowing, walking, elliptical training, and even biking uphill! That means you can exercise longer without feeling tired. And because you’re burning so many calories, you’ll feel full faster after eating.
5. Stretching
Stretching exercises help you lose weight by improving blood circulation and increasing metabolism.
Stretching helps to improve the overall flexibility of your body. The length of the muscles plays a vital role in the flexibility of your body. Ageing not only reduces muscle mass but also reduces muscle flexibility.
This can lead to a variety of pain syndromes. Hence stretching and working on your flexibility is a great contributor to your overall muscle health. Stretching exercises can be static or dynamic.
Dynamic stretches are usually done as a warm-up (before beginning your main workout.) Static Stretching exercises are done as cool down (at the end of your main workout). This helps to prevent post-exercise muscle soreness.
So lookout for a structured exercise plan from a qualified team of physical therapists to help you get fitter & live longer. At Fitterfly, we aim to empower people with knowledge and tools for good health.
Our scientifically backed, expert-led program Reset23, helps one lose weight and maintain a healthy BMI of 23. If you lack the motivation to move from the couch to the outdoors or even get started with your home gym pieces of equipment, call our coaches for expert guidance.
Give yourself the gift of a fitter life. To know more about our scientifically-led weight loss program visit our website https://www.fitterfly.com/reset23 or call give us a call on 022 48971077 (Ext 2).
Happy exercising, get ready for your journey towards getting fitter…
References
I liked it the most when you shared that stretching exercises allow you to lose weight. My friend wants to manage her weight. I should advise her to turn to an expert in weight management to ensure good health.