Which weight loss exercise?
If you are significantly overweight and engaging in exercise to lose weight, you should choose non-weight bearing forms of activity such as a static exercise bicycle or swimming. This will improve your fitness and help to get your weight down, whilst avoiding damage to joints and tendons. When your body weight has reduced, you can safely add other activities such as brisk walking and badminton to your routine.
Here are some brief comments about the various forms of weight loss exercise you may try...
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Walking is the most natural of all exercises and has been undervalued in terms of its health-promoting properties. Indeed evidence suggests that a brisk walk every day may offer health benefits comparable to those normally associated with more vigorous exercise.
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Swimming is an excellent weight loss exercise and a good way of improving fitness, but it also scores well for strength and flexibility. Because the water supports your body weight, swimming is ideal for anyone with back or joint problems, or who is overweight.
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Cycling (outdoors) is a great exercise for cardiovascular fitness and, to a lesser extent, strength. It will do little for your flexibility, so you should add some stretching/ flexibility exercises to your weight loss exercise programme.
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Exercise machines in health-clubs, gyms or at home are used by millions of people. A recent study suggests the treadmill is the most effective indoor exercise machine followed by the stair stepper, rowing machine, cross-country skier and stationary exercise bike.
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Jogging and running are still very popular forms of weight loss exercise. Jogging improves cardio-respiratory fitness, but does much less for strength and flexibility. What exactly constitutes jogging as opposed to running is difficult to say, although it’s usually taken that jogging is slower and less vigorous.
