You must change your energy balance if you want to lose weight and gain energy. Reduce your caloric intake or burn more calories if you want to shed pounds and become more active. However, combining these two methods is the best--and quickest--way to achieve your goal.
Kickboxing
Kickboxing helps you burn as much as 350 to 450 calories during a 50-minute class, according to ACEFitness.org. Exercise in general causes your body to produce endorphins, which are chemicals that make you feel happier and more energized. The repetitive motions of kicking and punching release endorphins and give you a powerful cardiovascular workout. You'll continue to burn calories and feel energized long after you've finished your workout. Cardio helps your heart become more efficient at delivering oxygen to your body. This increases your energy levels.
Kettlebells
These cannonball-shaped iron orbs have handles you can use for lifting and swinging. Kettlebells originally were used during the early 1700s by Russian strongmen. Working out with this type of equipment can burn, on average, 272 calories during a 20-minute workout, according to a January 2010 study sponsored by the American Council on Exercise. The study attributes these results to the high-intensity interval training and total-body workout that this type of exercise requires. In addition to burning calories, working out with kettlebells also helps elevate your energy levels.
Tai Chi
Tai chi is an ancient form of martial arts that developed in China. This form of exercise requires slow, rhythmic movements. To practice tai chi, you must relax your mind, breathe deeply and move your limbs to increase circulation and energy, according to Parents.com. Tai chi helps relieve stress, which can rob you of valuable energy.
Qigong
Qigong--pronounced "chee-gong"--roughly translates as “cultivating energy,” according to QigongInstitute.org. This exercise is an ancient art that builds your body’s Qi, or energy, and circulates it throughout your body through flowing, repetitive motions. The movements stimulate your nervous system to help you improve your energy levels. Qigong also may help reduce your stress and enhance healing.
Sleep
Sleep is critical if you want to lose weight and increase your energy, according to “Making the Cut” by Jillian Michaels. Four hormones control your appetite--leptin, ghrelin, human growth hormone and cortisol--all of which are directly affected by the amount of sleep you get. Leptin and ghrelin work in a type of “checks and balances” to help you feel full. Additionally, losing deep sleep decreases your growth hormone levels, which regulate your body’s fat and muscle proportions. Deep sleep helps restore your energy levels. Lack of sleep, however, triggers the release of cortisol, which promotes abdominal fat.
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