8 Weight Loss Exercises To Do at Home and their Benefits

Are you looking for some easy-to-do yet effective weight-loss exercises at home? Do you want to try out some weight loss exercises that will help you not only lose weight but also manage it better?

Along with a balanced and nutritious diet, exercise is also a very important part of your overall weight loss journey.

In this article, find out more about the various kinds of weight loss exercises that you can do at home that are effective, will not take up too much of your time, and are easy for beginners as well.

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Benefits of Weight Loss Exercises

There are various benefits of practicing weight loss exercises at home.

1. You can manage your weight at your convenience

• One of the first benefits of carrying out weight loss exercises at home is that you are not at the mercy of any specific gym timing, or a particular timing in general when you have to carry out your weight loss exercise.
• Instead of going outdoors for your weight loss exercises, doing these at home means that you can do it right there and then, in the comfort of your room, without the bother of getting dressed and going out.
• You can do your weight loss exercises whenever it suits you, whenever you can make time, and whenever you can comfortably place it in your routine.

2. Easier to burn off the calories

• One of the most important things to keep in mind when you are doing weight loss exercises is that you have to burn off more calories than the number of calories you consume.
• Instead of only focusing on a healthy diet for weight loss, it is also important that you couple it with a good exercise routine, even if you want to do it from the comfort of your home.
• A regular exercise routine will help you burn off the excess amount of calories that you may unknowingly consume, and as a result, it will be a more effective way to reduce weight.

3. Especially helpful for senior citizens

• Unless and until we include some form of physical activity in our daily routine, it can lead to an increase in frailty.
• This is because, as we age, we start losing more muscle mass, and there is also a further reduction in our bone density. 
• Regular exercise will help to control as well as counter the loss of both muscle and bone.

4. Great for overall mental well-being

• When you exercise, your brain releases a type of hormone that is known as endorphin.
• This can help to reduce pain as well as make you feel happier and more energetic.
• Often, once the immediate pain and sluggishness of exercise are past us, we tend to feel an energy boost.
• This not only helps to alleviate long-term pain and chronic aches, but it also helps to reduce stress and helps us feel happier and more positive.

5. Improves the quality of sleep

• Regular exercise can help to reduce the amount of stress and anxiety that many people of different ages are prone to.
• Less stress and feeling less anxiety can help you feel calm, which is a good state for you to be able to get a good night of sleep.
• The relaxation and stability that you feel after regular exercise can also help to soothe the mind and help you sleep better.
• When you work out, your body temperature starts to rise. Once you complete your workout, your internal temperature starts to slowly cool down. This too can help you feel calm and relaxed and makes you better ready to sleep peacefully. 

Things to Do Before you Start Exercising

• Place a non-skid exercise mat on the floor
• Do make sure that there is enough room around you to exercise, without touching anything
• Remove any wires from around the exercise spot or anything else that could increase the risk of tripping
• Have a sip of water
• Have at least an hour’s gap from the time you finish your meal till the time you start to exercise

Weight Loss Exercises to Try at Home

Here are some very easy, yet very effective weight loss exercises that you can easily try out at home. 

1. Spot walking and jogging

• Stand on the exercise mat with your spine straight, shoulders straight, and slightly back and your inner back slightly tugged inwards.
• Start walking on the spot.
• If you have not done this exercise before, start by slowly walking right where you are.
• You do not have to move ahead or back while you are spot walking, but just walk right there on the same spot where you are standing.
• As you get a little comfortable, increase the speed at which you are walking on the spot.
• Now once you are a little comfortable, switch from walking to spot jogging.
• Just jog very lightly on the same spot where you are standing on the mat.
• As you get more and more used to this exercise, you can increase the speed at which you jog.
• Slowly reduce your speed and come back to walking on the spot.
• Now reduce the speed and get back to your original walking position.
• You can easily do this exercise once or twice a day.

2. Skipping on the spot

• Stand on the exercise mat with your spine straight, shoulders straight, and slightly back and your inner back slightly tugged inwards.
• Place both your arms on your side and lightly bend them from the wrist, as if you are holding a skipping rope.
• Now start skipping on the spot.
• If you have not done this exercise before, start by slowly skipping right where you are.
• It is not necessary that you use a skipping rope for spot skipping.
• In fact, using a skipping rose may increase your risk of tripping and fall down.
• Instead, pretend that you are holding a skipping rope and skip right there on the same spot while moving your wrists along with the skipping pace.
• You can start by skipping slowly.
• As you get comfortable, you can increase the pace of your skipping.
• Now slowly reduce the speed of skipping and come back to your original standing position.

3. Standard elbow plank pose

• Stand on your exercise mat and come down to a push-up pose, where you place your body weight on your legs, with your legs stretched backward and your hips extended backward.
• Place your elbows in front of you in a bent position.
• Now strengthen your abdomen and stomach area in such a way that you feel pressure in the area. The idea is that you have to hold up your body weight using the strength of your abdomen.
• Hold this position for a few seconds, for at least 5 to 10 seconds to start with. 
• As you become more comfortable and practice this more often, you will be able to increase the plank hold for up to a minute and even more.

4. The straight plank

• This version of the plank pose is a simpler variation of the standard plank pose and you have to settle down in the same position as the standard elbow plank pose.
• However, in the straight plank position, you do not have to bend your elbows on the floor.
• Instead, you have to place your palms downwards on the floor in front of you and keep your elbows straight.
• Your palms have to be right below your shoulder level.
• Maintain your body and body weight the same way as you have to do in the standard elbow plank pose and hold your body weight with the help of your abdomen area.
• Hold this position for at least 5 to 10 seconds to start with.
• As you practice more and become more comfortable, you will be able to hold the pose for up to a minute or even more.

5. Alternate elbow up down plank

• This is a slightly tougher variation of the regular elbow and palm plank pose.
• To start this exercise, you have to first get down on the floor in the regular way you would do for either of the plank poses.
• Keep your elbows straight, place your palms downwards on the floor in front of you and hold your body weight with the help of your abdomen area.
• Your palms have to be right below your shoulder level.
• Now bend down your right elbow, then your left elbow.
• Now straighten your right elbow, then your left elbow.
• Keep doing this a few times. 
• You could do repetitions where you start by bending the right-left elbow combination for 5 times and then switch to bending the left-right elbow combination 5 times.

6. Squats

• Before you do this exercise, make sure that you do not have any leg injuries or any pain or discomfort in your foot or knee area.
• Stand straight on the mat and make sure that your shoulders are straight and slightly bent backward, and that your lower back is tucked inwards.
• Hold your arms straight in front of you, parallel to each other.
• Now gently bend your knees and imagine that you are going to sit on a chair, with your back straight.
• Hold an imaginary sitting on a chair position, with your arms straight out in front of you.
• Hold this position for a few seconds, as long as you comfortably can.
• Now gently straighten your knees without bending your elbows.
• Once you are in a standing position, bring down your elbows on the side.

7. Suryanamaksar or the sun Salutation

• Place the exercise mat on the floor and stand a little ahead of the middle part of the mat, so that your feet and arms will be more toward the front of the mat.
• Stand on the mat with your feet firmly placed on the ground, and a little apart.
• Gently raise your arms and take them straight up above your head and touch your palms in a namaskar pose. Inhale as you do so.
• Now bring down your arms together, keeping them straight, and bend forward to touch your toes with your fingers. Exhale while doing so.
• Place your arms on the sides of your feet. 
• Step one leg back into a plank position. Let us say this is the right leg. Stretch it back as much as you comfortably can.
• Now do the same with the other leg, which is the left leg.
• Now move your hips even further upwards and do a downward mountain pose or parvat aasan, with your feet and arms stretched and your hips up in the air.
• Now hold yourself in this plank pose and gently push your body down on the mat, with your chin touching the ground.
• Make sure your hips do not touch the ground and are in an elevated position.
• Bend your neck backward while looking up. 
• Now again come back to the parvat aasan pose, with your legs and feet stretched.
• Now quickly bring your right leg up till your right hand is in the front. Basically, the idea is to do this with the leg you first used when you began the exercise, in this case, the right leg.
• Do the same with the other leg.
• Now gently touch the tips of your toes and get up with your hands in a namaskar pose. 
• If you are a beginner, you can start by doing 2 to 4 suryanamaskars in a day, or split them into 2 parts throughout the day. As you become more comfortable, you can increase this to 10 to 20 times a day, and also increase the pace a bit at which you are doing it now.

8. Jumping jacks

• Stand on the exercise mat with your feet firmly placed on the ground.
• Place your feet slightly apart from each other, to form a kind of V position.
• Now place both your hands on the side of your body.
• Jump, and at the same time, bring your hands up to a clap position above your head.
• Now as you jump back again, bring your hands down to your hands.
• You have to do this exercise at such a pace that you can coordinate clapping above your head with the first jump, and bring back your hands to the side of the body at the second jump.
• Start this exercise slowly, for a few times at a slower pace. As you grow comfortable, you can increase the pace and the number of times you do it.

Remember that while exercise is very important in your weight loss journey and also helps to manage weight better, you need to be aware of any current or recent health issues or injuries that you may have or have had. Please speak to your doctor to understand which exercises are safe for you to practice at home.

When you exercise, keep the before-exercise tips in mind so that you can create a safe exercise space for yourself.