It’s important to love your body, but it’s also important to take care of it. So why not learn about the best exercises to lose weight and stay in shape?
25 years ago, roughly 10% of the American population was obese. Now, obesity affects roughly 25-35% of Americans, depending on the state. All in all, two-thirds (68.8 percent) of adults are considered to be overweight or obese, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (1, 2).
As most of us know first hand, gaining weight is a slippery slope. In fact, the WHO and NIH both classify obesity “as a chronic progressive disease resulting from multiple environmental and genetic factors.”
And weight gain isn’t just caused by excess eating, it can also occur due to inactivity, medication, disease, and certain medical conditions. That’s why losing weight isn’t straightforward for everyone.
The Benefits Of Exercise
The easiest way to tone up your body and lose fat is to get moving and change your diet. It’s an important change to make, too. Here’s why.
Extra pounds under and over the muscles of your chest and belly are by the most dangerous because they put extra stress on your heart and lungs (3).
As cholesterol builds up in your arteries, blood flow to you heart becomes impaired. Over time, this can cause a heart attack or even heart failure.
Other serious conditions caused by being overweight or obese include (4):
- High blood pressure
- Stroke
- Type 2 Diabetes
- Abnormal Blood Fats (High Cholesterol)
- Metabolic Syndrome
- Cancer
- Osteoarthritis
- Sleep Apnea
- Obesity Hypoventilation Syndrome
- Reproductive Problems
- Gallstones
- Gout
- Hormonal changes
Plus obesity also results in poorer mental health outcomes, reduced quality of life, shorter lifespan, and a higher risk of death.
And while most of us aren’t obese, our bodies can always benefit from exercise and good food!
40 Best Exercises to Lose Weight
Exercise is essential for the health of your muscles, which support and protect your skeletal system. Plus, it trains your heart and lungs to better distribute blood and oxygen throughout your body. It’s also necessary for moving along lymph, since your lymphatic system doesn’t have its own heart-like pump.
Here are 40 great exercises to lose weight at home and build muscle throughout your whole body!
Powerful Glutes
Your glutes play a vital role in your spine health. When you’re in optimal shape, they also stabilize your legs and pelvis. When your glutes are weak, you’ll typically feel pain in your lower back or shoulders.
You don’t get a lot of exercise when you work a desk job and walk minimally, and the first muscles to weaken are your glutes. It’s also a common spot for excess fat to settle into. Build them up with these exercises.
1. Lunges
- Stand up straight with legs at hip’s width apart.
- Step forward with your right and bend your knee at a 90° and hold for 5 seconds.
- Go back to your original position and change legs.
- Do 10-20 reps in 3 sets.
- To increase intensity, use light dumbbells and build up your strength.
2. Donkey Kicks
- Start on the ground on your hands and knees at shoulder’s and hip’s width.
- Keep your abs and glutes tight and raise your right heel towards to the ceiling so that your foot is directly above your butt. Make sure to keep your thigh no higher than your torso to avoid injuring your spine.
- Hold the position and slowly return your knee towards the ground without touching it.
- Repeat 15 times on each leg and perform 3 sets. You can also boost your workout by strapping on ankle weights.
3. Fire Hydrant
- Start in the same position as the donkey kick but open your right leg towards the side, opening your hips and keeping your right thigh parallel to the floor.
- Resist the urge to touch your knee to the floor as you bring your knee back to its original position.
- Repeat the movement 15 times on each leg and perform 3 sets.
4. Squat Pulse
- Stand up with your legs at hip’s width apart with your toes turned outward and your arms straight out in front of you.
- Squat down, keeping your glutes and abs tight. Make sure to keep your knees in line with your toes and your back straight.
- Stay in this position and raise and lower your butt slightly as if you were bouncing.
- Bounce 15 times and return to your starting position.
- Repeat this movement in 3 sets of 15 repetitions. Use dumbbells to get a deeper stretch.
5. Bridge
- Lay with your back towards the ground and your knees bent, planting your feet firmly on the ground. Your feet should be a little more than a hip’s width apart and should sit parallel to your knees.
- Place a light dumbbell or plate on your hips and lift them off the floor by tightening your glutes, thighs, and abs. If you’re new to working out, try the exercise without the use of weights.
- Lower down the starting position, keeping your hips slightly above the ground.
- Do 15 reps in 3 sets.
Strong Chest
Your chest muscles connect your neck, shoulders, and abs, so they should never be neglected. They also make sure your ribs are properly supported to protect your heart and lungs. Building up your chest will make sure that your body can handle the other exercises below. Plus, they help women improve breast health and tone.
6. Push-Up
- Get into a high plank position. Place your hands firmly on the ground, directly under shoulders.
- Ground your toes into the floor to stabilize your lower half. Brace your core (tighten your abs as if preparing to take a punch), engage glutes and hamstrings, and flatten your back so your entire body is neutral and straight.
- Begin to lower your body—keeping your back flat and eyes focused about three feet in front of you to keep a neutral neck until your chest grazes the floor. Your body should remain in a straight line from head to toe. Draw shoulder blades back and down, keeping elbows tucked close to your body.
- Keeping your core engaged, exhale as you push back to the starting position.
- Repeat 10-20 times for 3 sets.
7. Inch Worm
- Start in a push-up position with your arms directly under your shoulders, elbows and body straight with your body weight supported on your toes.
- Keeping your feet planted, walk your hands backward toward your feet as your butt rises toward the ceiling.
- Stop when you feel a stretch in the back of your legs, then walk your hands back out into the pushup position.
- Repeat 10 times.
8. Burpees
- Do a push-up.
- Once completed, keep your hands on the ground and jump your legs forward so you are standing in a bent over position.
- Lift hands off the ground and jump into the air as high as you can.
- Now bend over again, place hands flat on the floor and jump feet back into a push- up position.
- Repeat four sets of 20 with 30 seconds break in between each set.
9. Medicine Ball Pull Over
- Hold a medicine ball straight up in the air. If you don’t have a medicine ball, simply raise your arms above your head at shoulder’s width apart.
- Slowly lower your arms behind your head as far as you can, keeping arms lengthened with a soft elbow bend.
- Squeeze your chest and triceps and bring your arms back to the original position above your chest.