
Best Exercises to Lose Weight Fast and Stay Active
- Health
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Have you ever thought of the best exercises to lose weight fast and stay active? It is a known fact that losing weight is not as easy as it sounds. No one magic pill can cut off those excess pounds in a jiffy. To lose weight, your calorie expenditure must exceed your calorie intake. This means that you must burn more calories than you consume. This involves eating healthily and engaging in strength training and cardio training. So do you want to learn the best weight loss workout plans? Well, this article presents the best exercises to lose weight fast and stay active all day.

BEST CARDIO EXERCISES FOR WEIGHT LOSS
Cardio exercises, known in full as cardiovascular workouts, causes an elevation in your heart rate. Cardio exercises are classified as best exercises for weight loss because an increase in heart rate corresponds with an increase in fat burning.
To maintain weight loss or to lose weight fats, The Mayo Clinic says that you’ll have to engage in at least 300 minutes of moderate physical activity each week. This averages about 60 minutes, five days weekly.
If you have a busy schedule, you can divide your cardio workout plan into smaller workouts. For instance, you can exercise 20 minutes in the morning before going to work, 20 minutes during lunch, and 20 minutes after you’ve had dinner.
Examples of cardio weight loss workout plans include:
Low-intensity cardio

That you want to lose weight fast does not mean you must engage in high-intensity exercises. If you have physical limitations, or maybe you’re just a starter, you can as well do some low-intensity cardio. It will help you shed those pounds.
Low-intensity cardio workouts for weight loss include power walking, jogging, aerobics, swimming, and bicycling. Begin slowly and increase the intensity as you get used to your new routine. Strive for an hour of low-intensity cardio five days weekly. As your fitness level increases, carry hand weights while walking, jogging, or doing aerobics.
Jumping rope

Jumping rope is one of the best exercises to lose weight fast while remaining active. It improves cognitive function and coordination. Because of its intensity, jumping rope increases your heart rate, allowing you to burn up to 1300 calories every hour.
- Begin by warming up with 8-10 jumps.
- Jump continuously for a minute and a half.
- Take a break for 30 seconds and then repeat.
- Complete three sets of jumps.
It is okay to switch your routine. Jump a set on one leg, another set on both legs, and one set while running in place.
Burpees

Burpees are a combination of pushups, squats, and jumps. Burpees help you to lose weight fast because fat is burnt from your overall body. Also, you’re subjecting multiple muscle groups to training. These include muscles from your core, legs, and your chest.
- Do ten reps in half a minute (30 seconds) and then break for another 30 seconds.
- Do the same for 5 minutes.
High-intensity interval training

High-intensity interval training is a classic weight loss workout plan for fast weight loss. The popularity of this cardio workout has increased due to its ability to maximize fat loss and calorie expenditure. High-intensity interval training involves intense exercise sessions aimed at elevating your heart rate, accompanied by rest for 15 seconds.
HIIT is excellent for people who are very busy and don’t have time on their hands. You can engage in intense exercise for a short time. This helps you to burn more calories for hours after the workout.
A high-intensity interval training routine would involve:
- Butt kicks for 45 seconds, followed by a rest period of 15 seconds.
- Do jumping lunges for 45 seconds, and then rest for 15 seconds.
- Compete for burpees for 45 seconds, followed by a rest period of 15 seconds.
- Repeat the HIIT for 10-20 minutes.
- You can also do other movements like jump squats and mountain climbers.
You may also complete a HIIT workout session on a treadmill:
- Do a 5-minute warm-up.
- Sprint for a minute at high-intensity speed.
- Walk for 30 seconds, and then sprint again for a minute.
- Complete 8-10 sets.
BEST STRENGTH TRAINING EXERCISES TO LOSE WEIGHT FAST
Strength training on its own does not encourage fast weight loss. But this doesn’t mean it should be ignored when aiming to lose weight.
Strength training exercises can speed up your metabolism. They also facilitate the buildup of lean muscle mass, thus helping you to burn more calories at rest and during exercise. The best strength training exercises to lose weight fast include:
Kettlebell swings

Kettlebell swings boost your heart rate while increasing your leg and arm strength. It also helps you to build up a strong core.
- Do a two-handed kettlebell swing for 20 seconds.
- Take an 8-second rest.
- Complete eight sets.
You should lift faster to increase your heart rate and make the cardio workout more intense.
Pushups

Pushups contribute to fast weight loss, as well as building upper body strength, core stabilization, and increasing the muscle mass in your arms. As a starter, begin with 3 sets of 10 reps. Take a 60-90 second rest between each set. Increase the number of reps gradually as your strength improves.
Lunges

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What makes lunges unique is that you can do them forward, weighted, unweighted, and backward. The weighted version involves holding a weight plate or kettlebell next to your chest. You can increase the challenge by lifting the weight overhead.
You can complete one set of 8-12 lunges per leg.
Step-ups

Step-ups strengthens your legs and also stabilizes your lower back muscles and core. Step-ups are one of the best exercises to lose weight fast as well as gain strength. You can begin with a 6-12 inches step height and then progress to a higher height, like 24-30 inches.
- Complete 5 sets of 5-10 reps per side.
You can increase the challenge by holding a kettlebell or dumbbell next to your chest or hold one in each hand. Of course, this will increase sweating, and heart rate.
Deadlifts

Deadlifts help to build upper and lower body muscles. The load should be lightened to 50-70 percent of your max, while reps should be increased so that they feel more like cardio rather than weight training.
- Complete one to three sets of 10-20 reps.
TIPS TO STAY ACTIVE EVERY DAY
Staying active every day is something you should aim at. A sedentary lifestyle is an invitation to obesity. You must adopt different ways of staying active every day, alongside healthy eating and exercise routine.
An active lifestyle increases the number of calories that you burn every day. This can maximize your weight loss efforts and help you to lose weight fast.
- Stroll around the room during breaks, while talking on the phone, and between show episodes.
- Use the stairs instead of the elevator.
- Park your car at the end of the parking lots.
- Buy a fitness tracker. A fitness tracker will alert you when you’ve been sedentary for a long time. With these alerts, you’ll remember to move.
Arrange walking meetings with your colleagues at work.Fidget in your seat. You could rock your leg, tap your hand, or engageyour abdominal muscles. A study has shown that obesepeople who fidget might lose an extra 350 calories per day.Always ask the bus to stop before you reach your destination so that you canwalk some distance.Wear headphones while cooking or doing some household chores. Themusic encourages you to dance or move.- You
can also walk the dog with your family.
WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO STICK WITH AN ACTIVE ROUTINE?
Starting an exercise routine and sticking to it is quite difficult. However, the following tips can help:
Fuel up with foods
Having a light snack before exercising can amp up your energy. You don’t have to eat heavy. Snacks that are great for workouts include:
- Banana
- Dried fruit
- Energy bar
- Peanut butter crackers
- Trail mix
Get enough sleep
Sleep well the night before exercising. The workout becomes harder when you’re exhausted or sluggish. You could also get a workout buddy. He or she will motivate you to reach your weight loss goals.
Have fun exercising
Weight loss exercises are fun when you choose what you find enjoyable. You find it easier to stay active when you do what you enjoy!

Tonika Bruce, also known as The Network Nurse, is a multi-talented individual with a career spanning over 20 years. She’s a Registered Nurse, speaker, author, and advocate for change, excelling in business building and team development. Tonika holds two Master’s degrees in Nursing and Business Administration, (MSN & MBA) and is currently pursuing her Doctorate of Nursing Practice in Executive Leadership.
Her expertise extends to various fields such as nursing, entrepreneurship, business, basketball coaching, and executive leadership. She is a published author of “Relentless Pursuit: Proven Tips for Unlocking Your Potentials, Limitless Success and Post COVID Syndrome: A Guide to Repositioning the Nursing Profession for A Post COVID Era”. Currently, Tonika is working on Thrudemic, an anthology examining the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on medical professionals and patients.