Healthy, sustainable weight loss takes more than exercise but these workouts can help you reach your goals. Regarding weight loss the healthy, sustainable, not-gimmicky kind—it’s tempting to want a quick fix with as few changes as possible. Here’s what you should know about some of the best exercises to help you lose weight.
For many, that means turning to products such as exercise programs, trendy how-to books, or commercialized foods and drinks, none of which are likely to offer safe, lasting results.
The road to actual, sustainable weight loss is not-so-straightforward, Liz Davis MA EP-C, a clinical exercise physiologist in Columbus, Ohio, told Health. “Weight loss is largely dependent on the balance between the calories you consume and the calories you expend,” explained Davis. So, despite how buff your cycling instructor or the Instagram model peddling a skinny detox tea looks, trendy products alone won’t contribute to weight loss.
Instead, weight loss depends on your ability to maintain a continuous calorie deficit. A calorie deficit means you’re ingesting fewer calories than your body needs to maintain general body functions. Of course, that also means you’ll gain weight if you consume more calories than your body requires to function.
But it’s not just a matter of calories-in, calories-out: A whole host of other factors also play a role in how your body loses weight. A personal or family history of being overweight, hormonal disorders, environmental factors, psychological well-being, and even certain prescription medications can hinder attempts to lose weight. A calorie deficit remains one of the most significant factors impacting weight loss, and your diet is an important contributing factor.
However, alongside a calorie deficit, exercising can certainly help you meet your weight loss goal.
Here, experts weighed in on the best exercises to help you lose weight.
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). Cardio interval training—also known as high-intensity interval training (HIIT)—is a one-two punch for exercise: Short and mega-effective. The cardio-based workout alternates between short but intense bursts of energy, followed by less intense, or resting, breaks. Davis noted that your heart rate skyrockets in a short burst, and your temperature rises.
