The Covid 19 situation has taken a toll not only on our mental health but also on our physical health. With many employees opting for work from home opportunities, frequent visits to the refrigerator for snacking has become a favourite pastime to beat boredom and relieve stress. Continuous eating combined with a sedentary lifestyle is leading to an expanding waistline. That is why weight loss exercises are the need of the hour.
Expecting weight loss just by refraining from your favourite food is a punishment for both your body and mind.
Effective weight loss only happens when you combine a good diet with an excellent exercise regime. If you want to lose 1kg in a week, you have to create a calorie deficient of 7,700 calories. Imagine trying to create that deficiency by cutting down on food. You would just end up starving yourself. Now imagine a situation of creating 7,700 calories deficiency a week with exercise and healthy eating. Doesn’t that seem doable?
Also starving yourself is a dangerous option. So is going on fad diets. It results in weight loss along with muscle loss, loss of vital nutrients and ultimately a total slump in your overall wellbeing. So, it is highly recommended to have a well-balanced portion-controlled diet. Apart from a healthy diet, physical activity is also very important for your weight loss journey.
‘Weight loss is not meant to be a sprint. It’s meant to be a marathon.’
If you’re just starting on your weight-loss journey, the following article is for you. The 10 easy weight loss exercises for beginners listed below are a fun way to get you started on a healthy lifestyle.
Walking is one of the easiest exercises that can be done for weight loss. You can walk on the road; you can walk in the park or just walk around your house. Or you can always do yourself a favour and invest in a good treadmill.
It is recommended that you walk for 40 minutes a day for 6 days a week. A brisk walk, not the ‘casual stroll in the park’ walk. Walking is known to have many benefits. Apart from weight loss, it helps in the prevention of heart diseases and keeps diabetes under control. Regular walking is also known to prevent cancer.
A good pair of shoes and a pedometer will make this journey more comfortable and fun for you. Try walking uphill or combine walking with intermittent jogging to increase the number of calories burnt.
Jump Rope
You don’t need any fancy equipment for this. Just a skipping rope would suffice. For a beginner try skipping for a few minutes and then take a break for a few minutes. Start with a basic jump by checking out YouTube videos. Then progress to alternate foot jumps and ski jumps. Warm-up and cool-down exercises are very important when you jump rope.
Dancing
Dancing not just keeps the weight away but also the blues. Dancing is a form of cardio exercise. A good 30 minutes of dance can burn anywhere from 130 to 250 calories. Dancing helps work on your lean muscles. Start slow if you are a beginner and keep your moves simple. Later on, you can progress to high-intensity cardio dance to sweat off the calories.
Squats
This is one of the best exercises that benefits you from top to bottom literally. Simple squats can help you build muscle, burn calories and lose weight. Start with simple reps and then move on to different variations of squats over time. Be mindful of your overall posture while doing squats to avoid injury.
This classic exercise is an effective full-body workout. If you are hard-pressed for time, then just ten minutes of jumping jack exercises will help you sweat it out. Your heart rate increases and your body burns more fat. Jumping jacks helps you fight cellulite and increases your metabolism.
Push-Ups
This simple yet effective exercise is known to strengthen your upper body and tighten your core. Push-ups for a beginner can be quite a challenge. But not to worry, as there are many variations of push-ups that you could do before progressing to full-fledge push-ups. There are wall push-ups, kneeling push-ups, seated push-ups and standard push-ups. Just be mindful of your body form and your hand positioning while doing push-ups to prevent any injuries.
Dumbbell exercises
The best way to build your upper body strength is through dumbbell exercises. Invest in a good set of dumbbells as these exercises can be done anywhere and anytime. You can do a wide range of exercises using a simple set of dumbbells and target specific muscles in your body with these exercises.
Burpees
This is another full-body exercise that is known to have many benefits. It helps you burn more calories and tones you up in no time. Though challenging in the beginning, once mastered it can be quite beneficial for your coordination and balance. A burpee involves a squat and a push-up. Depending on the intensity, you can burn a good 135 – 200 calories in 30 minutes.
Lunges
Though deceptively simple, this exercise is highly effective in helping you tone your lower body. There are many variations to lunges other than the usual standard lunges. Lunges work on one side of your body at a time and help in improving mobility and core strength over time. But always be cautious because keeping your feet too wide apart or not keeping your back straight can cause injuries over the long run. So always be aware of your posture.
Chair exercises
If you do not have great hand-eye coordination and have balance issues, then no problem. This is where chair exercises come to the rescue. One of the biggest advantages of chair exercises is that there is a reduced risk of falling. You can perform your exercises while being seated. Despite being seated, these exercises can still get your heart pumping and help build your muscles. Just make sure that the chair you use is sturdy enough to support your weight.
Hope these 10 Easy Weight Loss Exercises for Beginners motivates you to get on your feet and keep your body moving.
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I just wanted to take a moment to say how much I appreciate your blog posts. They’re always well-written, informative, and keep me coming back for more. Keep up the great work!
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