Jogging is the most traditional exercise for people intending to lose weight. But there are many other choices in the same vein: swimming, football, cycling, Zumba… A whole host of aerobic cardio exercises to help you shed the pounds. And every year there are new ones, new brands and types of exercise. The principle is simple: just get moving, and stay moving, for half an hour to two hours, five to seven days a week, and you will burn enough calories to lose weight.
However, this approach is seriously flawed. For starters, cardio is not the best way of burning calories. Cardio only burns a certain number of calories per step or arm movement. Which means that the only way you can burn more calories per hour is by moving faster. And new exercise will burn more calories than exercise you are used to, because for new exercise you are growing new muscles, stronger tendons, and more nerve endings. Once you are used to it, you will only burn the bare minimum.
Secondly, burning fat is only part of the journey. To have a well-rounded figure and level of fitness, you need to grow muscle too. Muscle tightens your skin, making your figure better rounded, lifting your butt and arms to prevent sag, and generally making you firmer. And muscle gives shape to the body by plumping out the butt and legs, and shaping the back. This balances your figure and makes you look more youthful by adding shape and athleticism. Many women fear growing too bulky if they grow muscle, but in reality we all need some muscle to look and feel good, and for women it is so hard to grow muscle, you can stop long before you get too strong.
Finally, if you want to ensure that your weight loss is sustainable and that you can avoid setbacks even if you are stopped from exercising, and eat a balanced diet later on without gaining weight, your metabolism has to increase. Muscle burns twice as many calories per pound as fat, and if you have more muscle, every time you move you will burn more calories because more muscle fibers are moving. This means that the number of calories you burn without even exercising goes up, so you can eat more food whatever you do.
In essence, it is vital that you add something which provides resistance training to help build your muscles up. A good start is always bodyweight exercises. This is especially the case if you have never done any muscle building exercises before, as you will need practice. Situps, squats, lunges, pushups, planks, and other common bodyweight exercises are all you need, no need to worry about doing anything new or special yet. Just add in half an hour of bodyweight exercises twice a week at first and build yourself up enough to start using weights or another form of resistance.
After bodyweight exercises you need to progress onto something else, such as resistance band training, free weights, or exercise machines, to add an extra level of challenge. This is because, as mentioned earlier, when we get used to exercise it burns fewer calories. And you will get used to bodyweight exercises very fast, so it is essential to start adding some resistance training in as soon as you can.
Finally, please bear in mind that if you are growing muscle you will need more fuel to grow it with. You will need a few more calories and protein, especially if you’re losing weight too fast. And you may need to supplement glucosamine and other micronutrients to keep your body strong and able to take the strain.