Find the Best Activity to Lose Weight and Stay Fit

Introduction

Are you looking for the best physical activity for weight loss? Then you are at the right place. Physical activity is any form of movement you produce on your skeletal muscles using energy. It could be during your normal daily routine, work, transportation between places, or at your leisure. 

During physical activity, your body breaks down caloric stores to produce energy for your muscles to use. This process makes you spend more energy than you consume, leading to caloric deficit: an essential factor for weight loss. Moderate-intensity and high-intensity physical exercises lead to muscle growth. This muscle growth causes more increase in your resting metabolic rates (RMR). The increased RMR makes your body use up more calories while you are at rest, leading to caloric deficit and weight loss.  

Physical activity may be mild, moderate, or vigorous intensity. However, moderate-intensity and vigorous-intensity forms of physical activity have been proven to be beneficial to your health. Moderate-intensity physical activities are those that increase your heart rate and breathing but still allow you to speak. However, vigorous-intensity exercises substantially increase your heart rate and breathing to the extent that you find it difficult to have a discussion.

Whether you should engage in moderate-intensity or high-intensity will depend on your present health status. Some people may not be healthy enough to perform certain exercises at the onset, but they will still achieve weight loss through other forms of physical activities that their health can permit. There is no one-size-fits-all approach towards the best activity to lose weight.

Top 8 Physical Activities Effective for Shedding Pounds

There are numerous good activities to lose weight. Here we will discuss the 8 of the best activities for weight loss. These include:

1. Jogging/Running

   When starting a discussion about the best physical activity for weight loss, Jogging is the first exercise that comes to mind. This is an ancient cost-effective exercise that does not require the use of specialized equipment. Jogging is a very popular exercise among people in different parts of the world. It is estimated that about 50 million people in the United States took part in this activity in 2021. Jogging is one of the best weight loss sports because the activity makes use of several muscles at the same time. That makes it burn more calories than others. Studies show that jogging helps to burn more calories than vigorous swimming, martial arts and basketball.

   Only a few physical activities help you burn calories when you stop the training. Running (high-intensity type) is among the few exercises that make your body continue burning calories 48 hours post-training. That is because it requires extra energy during the rest period for your recovery (the afterburn effect). 

   
   In addition, the high-intensity types of running also help to suppress appetite. Several researchers observed that people have lower appetites after high-intensity running. Lowering of appetite will mean consuming a lesser quantity of food. As a result, you will tilt towards the caloric deficit. This process also contributes towards weight loss.

2. Biking

   Riding the bike is an enjoyable way to lose weight. It is among the best activity for weight loss. Biking is an aerobic activity that reduces your stress hormones, boosts your body’s circulation, enhances your heart and lungs, and builds your muscles. In the process of enjoying this activity, you lose weight. You can perform biking indoors (stationary, spin, or handcycle) or outdoors. During outdoor biking, we always advise you to observe safety precautions such as using helmets, hand signals, eyes on the road, single file, drop electronics, etc. If you intend to use biking for weight loss, then do the following:

   • Increase the intensity because you burn more calories when you cycle faster.
   • Apply high-intensity interval training (HIIT) pattern during the biking (intense biking alternated with low intensity biking).
   • Endure for a little longer by riding an extra few minutes when you feel tired. Don’t just stop once you get tired.
   • Combine it with other exercises. 

3. Aquatic Workouts

   Although swimming seems to be the most common activity done in the water, there are several other ones. This includes: water walking, laps, treading water, water running, pool edge push ups, jumping jacks, press to row, squat jumps, prone scissor kicks, side shuffling, etc. 

   Exercising in the water has benefits, especially for those with joint or bone issues who do not want to put more pressure on these tissues. According to research, aquatic workouts strengthen your muscles and make you lose weight without stressing your ankles, knees and other joints as jogging and other exercises do. You still achieve the desired weight loss from this exercise. 

4. Basketball

   Basketball is a team sport. It comes with a lot of fun and you burn calories at the same time. Team sports like basketball are competitive, involving activities such as running, jumping, and throwing. These activities are combined and may include short intervals of rest. Such sports that are fun and engaging make you burn more calories because you can perform them for a longer duration without getting tired. It is among the best sports for weight loss and toning.

5. Football (Soccer)

   Thinking of sports and weight loss? Football is another competitive team sport that involves a lot of running, kicking, and short intervals of rest. Like basketball, it is another sport filled with fun and excitement. This sport engages several muscle groups at the same time and at different intensities. As a result, you burn more calories when you take part in this sport. 

6. Walking with Purpose

   This is a form of physical activity where you intentionally engage in brisk walking in a bid to burn fat and lose weight. To achieve your goal, you can deploy several strategies such as increasing the intensity, duration, and frequency of brisk walking. Doing so makes you burn more calories. You may want to enjoy other variations by walking uphill, up and down the staircase, and interval walks.

7. Strength Training

   This form of exercise helps you to build more muscle mass, increase your resting metabolic rate, burn fat, and lose more weight. That is because it is tasking and involves large muscle groups. Some examples of these exercises include planks, pull-ups, deadlifts, push-ups, and squats. 

8. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIITs)

   
   You can not conclude a discussion about the best weight loss sports without talking about High-Intensity Interval Training. As the name implies, this activity can be challenging. HIITs are exercises where you alternate periods of short and very intense exercises followed by slower recovery periods and another round of intense exercises in a continuous cycle. Doing so utilizes several muscle groups over a short period, increases your metabolism, and makes you burn fat, lose weight and build muscles.

Why Consistent Physical Activity Matters 

Physical activity should become part of your lifestyle if you intend to achieve sustainable weight loss in the long term. Apart from achieving weight loss, consistent physical activity will help you prevent chronic ailments such as hypertension and type 2 diabetes. At Zappy Health, we encourage you to set SMART goals, incorporate physical activities into your calendar, start with activities you can comfortably perform, include hobbies that require physical activities, get an accountability partner, mix or vary your exercises, and track your progress. The best physical activity for weight loss is a personal exercise you can consistently and comfortably perform regularly.

Choosing the Right Exercise for Your Weight Loss Journey

So, what sport is best for weight loss? As we stated previously, using physical activity to achieve weight loss requires consistency. You need to choose the ones that align with your personal preferences so that you can perform them over time. Choosing which sport is good for weight loss will depend mostly on your personal preference and consistency. 

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Does sweating burn fat

   Sweating does not burn fat. Often, it is the physical activity you do that increases your metabolic rate and raises your body’s temperature. To cool your skin’s temperature, your body produces sweat so that evaporation can cause the cooling effect. If you are in a hot environment and you sweat without performing any physical activity, you won’t lose weight.

2. What happens when you exercise on an empty stomach?

   Exercising without any food in your stomach will drastically lower your blood sugar and deplete your energy stores. This act can make you lose stamina, feel dizzy, and have tremors and nausea. If you repeatedly engage in this act, your body may adapt and use more fat reserves to provide energy.