Exercise For Weight Loss

             Best Exercises for Weight Loss

1. Walking

Walking is an ideal exercise for weight loss: It doesn’t require any equipment, other than a decent pair of walking shoes, and you don’t need a gym membership to do it.

It’s a low-impact exercise, which means it won’t blow out your knees or cause other stress injuries that can leave you on the sidelines for weeks or even months.

For those with certain health issues, including obesity and heart disease, walking is an effective, low-intensity weight-loss activity that can lead to better overall health, as well as better mental wellbeing.

Depending on how much you weigh, walking at a pace of four miles per hour will burn between 5 and 8 calories every minute, or between 225 and 360 calories for a 45-minute walk.

At this pace, walking 45 minutes a day most days, you can lose up to a pound a week without changing any other habits.

So put on your walking shoes, turn on your iPod and go for a brisk stroll through the neighborhood. If you live close to where you work or shop, make walking your primary mode of transportation most days, and watch the pounds melt away. When the weather is bad, take to the local track or indoor mall, or hop on the treadmill.

2. Cycling

Bicycling is another low-impact, high-rewards activity for losing weight.

Cycling can burn anywhere from 372 to over 1,100 calories per hour, depending on your weight, your speed and the terrain you’re biking across.

Unlike running, cycling is easy on the joints, and even the most out-of-shape beginner can hop on a bicycle and ride several miles without feeling like they’ve just been through the wringer.

Outdoor cycling is best, because the varied terrain enables you to get a well-rounded workout that includes strengthening your lower body and getting a good cardiovascular workout.

If you live within biking distance of your job, cycling to work can stimulate endorphins and boost your metabolism for the day, as well as save you money on gas. If outdoor cycling is difficult or dangerous in your area, consider spinning.

Offered at most gyms, this group cycling activity is one of the lowest-impact classes offered, and yet it’s one of the most effective for burning calories and revving up your metabolism.

Even seasoned runners or bikers will likely find themselves challenged by the spinning instructor. An hour-long spinning class covers about 20 miles and challenges participants to reach speeds that they may find impossible when riding an actual bike.

3. Running

If you’re one of the many people who love to run, you’re in luck.

Running burns about 600 calories per hour, helps build strong bones and connective tissue and gets your heart pumping at a healthy rate to help prevent heart disease, stroke and certain cancers.

The only equipment running requires is a good pair of shoes to protect your joints and, if it helps you keep the pace and maintain motivation, an iPod with your favorite tunes.

Interval training can bump up the calories you burn on your daily run. Also called speed work, interval training involves short spurts, usually between 30 seconds and two minutes, of running at top speed.

Intervals burn a large number of calories in a short amount of time, improve your resting metabolism to help you burn more calories during the day, and increase your muscle mass.

Experts now recommend that you don’t stretch before you run. Instead, warm up by marching in place, bringing your knees up high, or walking for five minutes before beginning your run.

Because running is a high-impact exercise that can damage your joints, it’s always best to have a professional fit you with the right running shoes, based on your gait.

Crunch.

• Lie down on your back with your feet pressed against the squat stand and your hands against your ears.
  
• Roll your shoulder blades up from the gildeboard while keeping your
  
  lower back in contact with it and lower yourself back down after a short pause.
  
• To avoid pulling your neck with your hands, look straight up instead of looking at your knees.

Resisted Crunch

• Lie down on your back with your knees bent and your feet on the glideboard and hold the handles with your hands, arms extended out and parallel to your thighs.
  
• Roll your shoulder blades up from the glideboard by pushing on the handles while keeping your arms extended and lower yourself back down after a short pause.
  
• To avoid pulling your neck with your hands, look straight up instead of looking at your knees.

Inclined Crunch with Feet Attached.

• Lie down on your back with your head down, feet attched to the wing attachment, knees slightly bent.
  
• Roll your shoulder blades up from the glideboard while keeping your lower back in contact with it and lower yourself back down after a short pause.
• 
  
• To avoid pulling your neck with your hands, look straight up instead of looking at your knees.

Crunch with Leg Curl.

• Lie down on your back with your head down, feet attched to the wing attachment, knees slightly bent.
  
• Roll your shoulder blades up from the glideboard while at the same time pulling yourself up closer to your feet by bending your knees and lower yourself back down after a short pause.
  
• To avoid pulling your neck with your hands, look straight up instead of looking at your knees.