Exercises That Help With Weight Loss

Approximately 66 percent of adults in the United States are overweight or obese. Developing healthy lifestyle habits, including improved eating and exercise habits, can help you reach your healthy weight. Aerobic exercise, strength training and interval training are types of exercises that can help you reach your weight-loss goal.

Aerobic Exercise

The amount of aerobic exercise you need to help control your weight depends on how much you eat and the type and intensity of exercise you choose. Popular aerobic exercises include brisk walking, cycling, running and swimming, and these types of exercises can help you burn calories. Work your way up to 60 minutes or more of aerobic exercise on five or more days each week to help promote weight loss.

Strength Training

Strength-training exercises are recommended to help you control your weight. As you develop lean muscle, your metabolism can get a boost, which helps you burn calories more efficiently. Strength training should be a part of your fitness routine, no matter your age. Muscle-strengthening exercises can be done by lifting weights, using your body weight as resistance or using resistance bands. Doing strength training exercises for your major muscle groups at least two times each week is recommended.

Interval Training

Adding interval training to your aerobic exercise can be a good way to burn more calories in a shorter time than exercising at a steady pace. It can also be a good way to break through a weight-loss plateau and can be added to any type of aerobic exercise activity. Interval training is done by alternating short, high-intensity bursts of activity with lighter periods of activity. An example of an interval-training workout is running for 30 seconds and then walking for 60 seconds and repeating this numerous times.

Considerations

Visit with your doctor before starting an exercise routine if you have been sedentary for some time or if you have a condition that affects your ability to safely exercise. After you are cleared for exercise, always begin and end your exercise sessions with a warmup and cool-down, and gradually work your way up to the recommended amount of exercise. Although regular exercise is essential for good health and can contribute to your weight-loss efforts, eating fewer calories than your body requires is also an important component of weight loss.