The exercise that is best for "overall" weight loss might be different than the exercise that results in the most weight lost per hour. Several studies report that running at a moderate pace is the best exercise for losing weight quickly, but runners suffer far more injuries than people who exercise less intensely and, thus, have to stop exercising. Numerous exercise experts report that walking is the best exercise for long-term weight loss and health.
Long-Term Study
According to a 15-year study of 4,995 men and women conducted by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and published in the Dec. 3, 2008, edition of the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition," walking is an excellent exercise for losing weight. The study reported that walkers weigh less than non-walkers and that the "heaviest individuals" and people who walk the most lose the most weight via walking. People who weighed 160 pounds and walked 35 minutes per day ultimately weighed 18 pounds less than 160-pound people who didn't walk.
Short-Term Exercises
"Moderate" running at 10 miles per hour is the best exercise for losing weight quickly, according to a chart in "The Well Adult." If you run a six-minute mile, you will lose 900 calories per hour, reports the book's chart. This exercise is followed by fast bicycling (600 calories per hour), swimming at a moderate speed (500), climbing hills (480) and tennis (420). The sixth- through 10th-best exercises are table tennis (360), horseback riding and volleyball (350), and slow swimming and fast walking (300).
Aerobic Exercises Better
Exercises that require continuous effort, also known as aerobic exercises, are a far better way to lose weight than anaerobic exercises that require bursts of energy, but aren't continuous, report "The New Pritikin Program" and "Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Disease." Walking, running, bicycling, cross country skiing and swimming are all regarded as aerobic. On the other hand, an anaerobic exercise like weight-lifting is last among 20 gym activities on the "Calories Burned In 30 Minutes" chart that was published in the July 2004 issue of the "Harvard Health Letter."
Intense Exercises Risky
Runners and bicyclists lose weight faster, but they also stop exercising far more often. "Walking Your Steps To Health," a Harvard University publication, reports that runners are 15 to 20 times more likely to get hurt than walkers, and Ornish reports that they are far more likely to have heart attacks. "Walking," Ornish, Pritikin and The Merck Manual of Medical Information--which explains that intense exercise causes pain in bones and muscles--all recommend walking as the best exercise for long-term weight loss and long-term health.
Less Preparation
Runners and bicyclists lose weight faster during exercise, but they also spend far more time preparing to exercise, report Ornish and "Walking Your Steps To Health," which both cite clothes changes, shopping for clothes and equipment, and the necessary extra warm-ups and cool-downs. And walkers can still lose weight relatively quickly. A 155-pound walker burns 298 calories per hour walking 3.5 miles per hour; 334 calories per hour walking 4 miles per hour; and 372 calories per hour walking 4.5 miles per hour.
References
- Harvard Health Publications: "Walking Your Steps To Health"
- Harvard Health Publications: "Calories burned in 30 minutes for people of three different weights"
- "Dr. Dean Ornish's Program For Reversing Heart Disease;" Dr. Dean Ornish; 1996
- "The New Pritikin Program;" Robert Pritikin; 1990
- The Merck Manual of Medical Information; 1999
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