The best exercise to lose weight

Weight Loss

Weight loss contributes to obtaining many health benefits for the body, including improving blood pressure levels, blood cholesterol levels, in addition to blood sugar levels, and it is possible to obtain these benefits even if the weight loss is simple. That is, at a rate ranging from 5% to 10% of the body weight, and to lose weight, the amount of calories that the body burns must be greater than those that it consumes in the diet, and it is worth noting that the rate of energy expended at rest (in English: Resting Energy Expenditure) ; It is the amount of calories that the body consumes to perform its basic functions such as breathing, cell formation, and maintaining body temperature. It constitutes between 50% and 70% of the total calories that the body needs. It should be noted that some factors such as genetics, age, Gender and body composition determine the rate of energy expended at rest, while the rest of the amount of energy the body burns daily depends on the amount of exercise the person does.

What is the best exercise for weight loss?

It is worth noting that there is not one specific exercise for weight loss, but there are three types of exercises that help in losing weight, which are aerobic exercises, strength exercises, and flexibility or stretching exercises. It is recommended to include all of these exercises in the exercise program for weight loss to obtain The best results, but it is not possible to rely on exercise alone for weight loss, as reducing the amount of calories contributes to promoting weight loss better compared to increasing the amount of exercise. As mentioned previously, the key to losing weight is consuming fewer calories than the body burns. However, reducing the amount of calories through diet, in addition to burning calories through exercise, helps lose weight better than exercising alone.

Aerobic exercise

Aerobic exercises help increase the heart rate and breathing rate, and these exercises usually include performing repetitive movements targeting large muscles. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (in English: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) indicates that the appropriate amount of aerobic exercise to lose weight It differs from one person to another. It is also recommended to follow a weekly program consisting of moderate-intensity aerobic exercises, such as brisk walking for up to 150 minutes, or doing vigorous-intensity aerobic exercises, such as running for up to 75 minutes. However, if you want to lose weight in the long term, it is recommended. It is recommended to exercise for 300 minutes or more per week. Below are some examples of aerobic exercise:

• Exercises that can be done at home: We mention the following:
  • Jumping rope: Jumping rope helps develop better body awareness, in addition to improving hand-foot coordination and agility.
  • Running or jogging: Running is one of the most effective forms of aerobic exercise, as running helps improve heart health, burn fat and calories, in addition to improving mood.
  • Walking: Walking daily helps reduce the risk of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure levels, and depression.
  • Jumping: Jumping exercise helps burn about 100 calories within 10 minutes.
  • Jogging in place: Jogging in place is a simple exercise that helps increase the heart rate. It is also considered a warm-up exercise that precedes more intense exercises.
  • Stair climbing exercise: Stair climbing is an excellent aerobic exercise, and the stairs can also be used to practice a variety of other exercises.
• Exercises that can be done in the gym: We mention the following:
  • Using special machines: such as walking machines, stationary bikes, and exercise machines (in English: elliptical machines).
  • Swimming: Swimming is a low-impact exercise, so it is a good choice for people at risk of injury or people with limited mobility. Swimming also helps tighten muscles and enhance strength and endurance.
  • Stationary bike: Many gyms offer cycling lessons using stationary bikes, but it is possible to benefit from stationary bike exercise without taking these classes.
  • Aerobic exercise classes.
  • boxing.
  • Zumba, which can also be practiced at home.
• Other aerobic exercises: Other examples of aerobic exercises that can be done outside the home include basketball, brisk walking, cycling, rowing, running, and football.

resistance exercises

Resistance exercises help improve fat burning in the long term by increasing muscle mass, as increasing muscle mass leads to an increase in the basal metabolic rate. It is recommended to practice resistance exercises twice a week at a minimum, leaving a day of rest between days. Exercise. It should be noted that the duration of the exercise depends on the number of repetitions that the person performs. There are many ways in which muscles can be strengthened, whether at home or in the gym, which include the following:

• body weight: Body weight exercises are comfortable exercises. It can be practiced when traveling or at work, and examples of body weight exercises include: squats, push-ups, and pull-ups (in English: Chin-Up).
• Weight machines: Weight machines are devices that have adjustable seats and handles attached to the weights or a hydraulic system.
• Rubber resistance bands: They are giant rubber bands that can be adapted to most exercises, and the bands provide continuous resistance throughout the movement.
• Suspension equipment: It is a training tool that uses gravity and body weight to perform various exercises.
• Weights of bags or balls: Such as sandbags, or medicine balls>
• Free weights: These are traditional training tools such as dumbbells, and a person needs to have a variety of weights. One can start with three sets of barbells, distributed as follows:
  • Lightweight group: the weight ranges from 1.4 to 2.3 kilograms for women, and from 2.3 to 3.6 kilograms for men.
  • Medium weight group: whose weight ranges from 2.3 to 4.5 kilograms for women, and from 4.5 to 6.8 kilograms for men.
  • Heavy group: whose weight ranges from 4.5 to 9 kilograms for women, and from 6.8 to 13.6 kilograms for men.

Stretching exercises

Stretching exercises are exercises that increase the flexibility of muscles and joints. Slow stretching exercises can be incorporated after warm-up exercises or during the cool-down in each exercise session, and they can also be performed as a separate activity. Like yoga, it is recommended that the duration of each stretching exercise not exceed approximately 30 seconds. It is worth noting that stretching exercises contribute to maintaining joint mobility and muscle relaxation and health. Which helps to move more efficiently, in addition to its role in reducing muscle tension pain and muscle imbalance, and it may also help to lose weight more easily.

Tips on losing weight

It is worth noting that losing weight in a healthy way is not limited to following a diet or exercise program for a specific period, but rather it is related to adopting a continuous lifestyle that includes long-term changes in daily eating habits in addition to exercising. Although losing weight in a healthy way requires A lot of time and effort; However, making permanent lifestyle changes that include proper nutrition and physical activity contributes to maintaining weight loss for a long time. Below are some tips that can be followed to lose weight in a healthy way:

• Eat a variety of plant foods: Most meals should contain vegetables and fruits in good quantities, as it is recommended that vegetables make up approximately half of the plate of food, while grains and proteins make up the remaining half.
• Eat meals regularly: You should focus on breakfast and snacks, because skipping them may lead to overeating during the day.
• Prepare snacks in advance and choose them well: You can eat vegetables when you want a crunchy snack, and you can also eat fruits when you want a sweet-tasting snack.
• Increase physical activity: It is recommended to reduce sitting in front of the TV or computer screen to two hours or less per day, and to increase exercise.
• Get enough hours of sleep: Not getting enough sleep is linked to weight gain, so it is recommended to get between 8 and 8.5 hours of sleep per day.
• Reducing calorie intake: Reducing calories by an amount ranging from 500 to 1000 calories per day from the usual diet contributes to weight loss by an amount ranging from 0.45 to 0.91 kilograms of body weight per week. Calories in the diet can be reduced by making some changes such as eating foods. High nutritional value and low calories instead of low nutritional value foods that have high calories, in addition to reducing the size of food portions.