5 best calorie-burning exercises for weight loss
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If weight loss is one of your health goals, exercise is key. Not only does it burn calories, but it also helps increase your metabolism, build muscle and improve overall fitness. Regular exercise can also increase your energy levels and enhance your mood. So, if you’re looking to shed some extra pounds, while also improving your overall physical and mental health, incorporating exercise into your routine is a smart strategy.
There is no shortage of workout options, so knowing which types are best for your goal can be tricky.
As a personal trainer and weight-loss coach, I encourage my clients to use a combination of cardio and strength training. Cardio exercise helps speed up the metabolism and jumpstart calorie burn. While building muscle helps to burn fat and increases your metabolism, helping you burn more calories at rest long after your workout is over.
Cardio exercises for weight loss
For starters, the simplest exercise that most people can perform is walking. Whether on a treadmill, around the house or up the street and back, walking is perfect for those new to exercise or those that have been working out for years. Walking is an accessible, low-impact exercise that strengthens your heart muscle, as well as the muscles in your legs, upper body and core.
Want to step it up a notch? Hiking, running or biking are also great options. Hiking is similar to walking, but by adding different obstacles such as rocks, tree limbs, dirt and elevation, you are able to burn more calories than when walking on a flat surface. Running is a more challenging, intense workout that requires the body to work harder and faster, thus burning more calories and speeding up your metabolism even more. And biking or indoor cycling is a low-impact way to burn calories, improve circulation and improve mobility without having to carry the weight of your body with you. Sitting down on the bike takes a lot of pressure off of your knees, hips and ankles.
Swimming is another cardio option that is easy on the joints. A few laps around the pool is a great way to burn some calories, while helping to ease any discomfort that may come from exercising with extra weight. Switching up your positions will keep it from getting boring: Breast stroke, back stroke and even the doggie paddle will get the heart rate up.
In terms of specific cardio moves, jumping rope is a simple way to burn calories quickly, due to the high-intensity nature that allows you to pack an intense workout into a short amount of time. Jumping rope is a full-body workout that requires all muscles to work together. Just a quick 5-minute session will increase your heart rate and have you working up a sweat!
Strength training for weight loss
When it comes to the best strength-training exercises for weight loss, I prefer full-body moves that engage the muscles in the upper body, lower body and core simultaneously. These more complex moves give you more bang for your buck, building muscle all over the body while burning more calories.
Mountain climbers
Begin in plank position, keeping your back straight, hips low and core engaged. Bring your right knee under your chest toward your right elbow. Return your right leg back to plank position; bring your left leg under your chest toward your left elbow. Repeat while alternating legs, keeping a steady pace. Remember to breathe and concentrate on engaging your abs, glutes and hamstrings.
Wood chopper with a weight
Stand up straight and hold a dumbbell above your head with both hands. Twist your torso slightly to the left and move your right foot out a bit so that it is not directly under your hip. Bring the dumbbell down and across your body from left to right as you bend and lift your right knee into the air. Bring the weight down to the side of your right hip before putting your foot down and lifting your arms back up into the air. Repeat 10 times, and then repeat on the opposite side.
Pushups
Start by getting down on all fours with your palms on the mat a little wider than shoulder-width apart. Make sure your arms are straight. Reach your legs straight behind you, tucking the toes under to come into a plank position. Bend at the elbows, lowering your body until your chest almost touches the mat. Pause in this position for a few seconds, and then press down into the ground to straighten your elbows and push your body back up. Return to the starting position and repeat.
Burpees
Begin in a squat position with your feet shoulder-width apart. Then. place both hands on the ground in front of you, shifting your weight to your hands. Kick your feet behind you so that you’re in plank position. Perform one pushup, making sure your back is straight and your core is engaged. Jump your feet forward so that you are back in a squat position and stand up. Jump toward the sky reaching your arms above your head. Land softly with knees bent and immediately drop into a squat position. Repeat.
Backward lunge with overhead press
Hold a dumbbell in your left hand in a goal-post position with your tricep parallel to the ground. Step back with the left foot into a backward lunge, and then press the left arm up into an overhead press. Shift your weight into your front leg to return to standing. Repeat 10 times and then switch sides.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
