Top Exercises To Lose Weight

Losing weight can be simple and fun if you find the right activity for you. Any kind of exercise can burn calories, but you lose weight faster when you get your heart rate and breathing up, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC. Some exercises make it particularly easy to burn off a lot of calories by involving many different muscle groups.

Running

Running is usually the first thing that comes to mind when people think of aerobic exercise. It is a popular aerobic activity for good reason: A 160-pound person burns approximately 986 calories if he runs 8 miles in an hour. If 8 miles in an hour is too intense, a lighter 5-mile jog will burn 584 calories.

Rollerblading

Try Rollerblading if you want to burn a lot of calories while moving quickly and covering a lot of distance. The Mayo Clinic says a 160-pound person burns an average of 913 calories after an hour of Rollerblading. The CDC recommends that you Rollerblade vigorously to get a good aerobic workout. This means your breathing should increase to the point that you find it difficult to carry on a conversation.

Stair Climbing

Use a stair-climber to lose weight if weather does not permit outdoors activity. A stair-climber is also a compact alternative to a treadmill if you prefer to exercise in your home. The Mayo Clinic says a 160-pound person will burn 657 calories on average after an hour on a stair climber. To burn the most calories, follow the advice of Jessica Matthews from the American Council on Fitness: Maintain proper posture and do not rest your weight on the sidebars.

Tae Kwon Do

Try tae kwon do if you tend to get bored with more traditional aerobic exercises. The Mayo Clinic says a 160-pound person will burn around 730 calories from an hour of tae kwon do. Check with your local community center to see if it offers tae kwon do classes. Tae kwon do is a group-oriented sport, which means you may do other aerobic activities with others.

Swimming

Swimming helps you burn off a lot of calories without the extra stress that impact exercises such as jogging put on your knees. A study for the "Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness" showed that swimming can burn as much fat as land-based exercises when you swim with the same frequency and intensity. The American Heart Association says that if you weigh 150 pounds, you will burn 500 calories swimming for an hour at 50 yards per minute.