The National Center for Health Statistics says that more than 70% of people in the U.S. are either overweight or obese. However, only about 25% of people follow the guidelines for both aerobic and strength-training exercise. Experts say that exercise should be a big part of your plan to lose weight. To lose weight, you need to make a calorie balance, which means you need to burn more calories than you eat. Along with making changes to your food, one of the best ways to reach this deficit is to start working out regularly. In order to lose weight effectively, it is important to follow healthy eating habits and regularly engage in physical exercise. You can reach your weight loss goals and improve your health and well-being as a whole if you listen to what experts say and stick to your diet and exercise plans.

Exercise for Weight Loss: Why It Matters

Exercise is one of the most important things you can do to improve your mental and physical health, lower your chance of chronic diseases, and make your life better in general. It keeps you stable and balanced, which makes it less likely that you will fall and break a bone, especially if you are older. Exercise can also help you lose weight faster when paired with a healthy diet.

In addition, exercise helps keep muscle mass, which stops the loss of lean tissue that often happens when people lose weight. The body burns calories more efficiently, even when it’s at rest, when it gains muscle mass. Strength training helps build lean muscle mass and bone structure, and aerobic exercise is good for the heart and blood vessels.

By raising the resting metabolic rate (RMR), this mix of physical tasks makes the metabolism work better, which helps with weight loss. Researchers have found that doing both cardio and strength training can help people burn more calories even when they’re not moving. This can help them reach and keep their goal weight.

How Much Should You Exercise to Lose Weight?

The Department of Health and Human Services says that adults should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise each week and do things that strengthen their muscles twice a week. For bigger weight loss, it’s best to do more than 300 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise. Dr. Weber says that this amount of activity is better for losing weight. A certified personal trainer named Mary Wing says that newbies should be careful at first to avoid getting hurt or burned out. She says to start with three 30- to 45-minute sessions a week of total body resistance training that focuses on major muscle groups. To meet the 150-minute requirement, she also suggests doing low-impact movements. As a person gets fitter, they can slowly raise the intensity and duration of their workouts. For long-lasting effects, it’s important to make exercise plans fit each person’s abilities and build up slowly.

The Best Expert-Recommended Exercises for Weight Loss

When picking workouts to help you lose weight, it’s important to stick with them. Different people have different ideas about the best workouts, but a mix of the following routines can help you reach your weight loss goals.

• Lifting weights: Compound workouts like squats and deadlifts are especially good at building muscle through resistance training.
• High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT): HIIT involves alternating short, intense workouts with rest times. This method burns calories quickly and speeds up the metabolism.
• Water workouts: Swimming and water aerobics are two examples of low-impact exercises that are still difficult and good for your joints.
• Walking is an easy-to-do exercise that improves cardiovascular health and lowers body fat. It works especially well for people who are overweight.
• Cycling: Cycling outside or inside burns calories and changes the way your body looks, so it can help you lose weight.
• Pilates and yoga aren’t great for burning a lot of calories, but they do help you lose weight by strengthening muscles, improving balance, and lowering stress.
• NEAT stands for “Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis.” Normal things like cleaning, walking, and moving burn calories, which helps you lose weight. By adding these exercises to your schedule, you can lose weight and improve your health in the long term.

How to Learn More About Exercise for Weight Loss

It’s important to talk to a doctor before starting a new exercise plan to find out if there are any risks, limitations, or reasons why you shouldn’t do it because of your health situation. Experts also say that you should get help from an experienced health coach or personal trainer to set realistic goals, make a personalized fitness plan, and make sure that you use the right form and technique when you exercise.

Being consistent is important if you want to lose weight, so make sure you do your workouts every day. Also, pay attention to what your body is telling you and change your workouts to fit what feels good and helps you. You can get the most out of your fitness journey and lower your risk of injury or failures by putting safety first and getting help from professionals.