Listen up, ladies. Losing weight can be a central problem when you don’t have a sense of direction. From online fitness trends to the abundance of wellness fads to new fad diets, you might feel defeated without even starting your weight loss journey. But taking that first step is usually the hardest part. We spoke with two fitness professionals who share their most recommended weight loss exercises for women to do daily.
“For women to lose weight, they would need a healthy combination of strength exercises and cardio training,” Sydney Yeomanscertified personal trainer and fitness director for BODY20tell Eat this, not that! “Cardio exercises will help burn fat faster, while strength will help build muscle, thereby burning more calories.”
If you’re wondering why it seems that losing unwanted body weight seems to be the biggest obstacle of all time, know that compared to men, women generally have a reduced metabolic rate. UPMC HealthBeat explain. Simply put, a woman’s body doesn’t use as many calories to perform regular bodily functions such as circulating blood, breathing, and thinking. The remaining calories are stored as fat.
So what’s a girl to do? It’s time to improve your cardio and strength and combine your fitness with a balanced diet. The experts have you covered on the fitness side completely and are here to guide you through the best daily weight loss exercises for women. Start doing these movements in your daily routine and watch the number on the scale go down.
Let’s explore the best daily weight loss exercises for women.
In this article:
Walk
Don’t sleep walking the old fashioned way if you want to lose weight and get fit.
“While not often considered ‘exercise,’ daily walking is one of the most effective habits you can adopt for weight loss, as it is a low-impact way to increase your intake of calories throughout the week,” explains Tyler Readpersonal trainer and founder of PTPioneer.com. Set a goal to do at least 30 minutes of brisk walking per day.
Squats
“Squats work your glutes, quads and hamstrings, helping to build lean muscle mass, which boosts your metabolism,” says Read.
How to do it:
- Place your feet on the floor shoulder-width apart.
- Place your hands on your hips, keeping them tight to your chest or extending them out in front of you for stability. To intensify this exercise, you can also hold a set of dumbbells at your sides.
- Begin the squat by bending your knees and pressing your hips back.
- Lower until your thighs become parallel to the floor or lower.
- Push through both feet to return to standing.
- Perform 3 sets of 12 to 15 repetitions.
Push ups
Love them or hate them, push-ups are a great calorie burner. Read says: “Push-ups are great for toning your upper body and core.” If you find regular push-ups too difficult, start with knee or wall push-ups.
How to do it:
- Place your hands on the floor below your shoulders and reach up to the balls of your feet.
- Your body should form a straight line from head to toe.
- Bend your elbows and lower your chest toward the floor.
- Make sure your lower back doesn’t dip.
- Press back into a high plank to complete a full repetition.
- Perform 3 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions.
Slots
Lunges are another productive exercise that works the lower body, including the quads, hamstrings, and glutes.
How to do it:
- Take a big step forward with one leg.
- Bend your knees to initiate the lunge and descend.
- Keep your upper body straight and make sure your front knee does not extend past your toes.
- Push through your front heel to return to standing.
- Bring your back leg forward to lunge to the other side.
- Perform 3 sets of 12 to 15 repetitions per leg.
Burpees
“Burpees are a great full-body exercise that increases your heart rate and builds explosiveness,” Read tells us. “They engage multiple muscle groups at once, making them a very effective way to burn calories.”
How to do it:
- Plant your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Engage your abs and lower yourself into a high plank with your hands on the floor and your legs extended behind you.
- Do push-ups.
- Stand up and jump your feet forward to meet your hands.
- Jump explosively while simultaneously raising your arms above your head.
- Perform 3 sets of 10 repetitions.
Mountaineers
Get ready to work your whole body and get your heart rate up with mountain climbers.
How to do it:
- Assume a high plank with your hands under your shoulders and both legs extended behind you.
- Quickly bring your right knee toward your chest before extending it behind you.
- Repeat the same movement with your left knee.
- Continue alternating as you perform 3 sets of 30 repetitions.
Skipping rope
“Jumping rope can burn a lot of calories in a short time and works your lower and upper body,” says Read.
How to do it:
- Sauté for 1 minute.
- Breathe for 30 seconds.
- Repeat.
- Once you’ve built up your endurance, aim to do longer periods of jumping, like 2 to 3 minutes at a time.
Glute bridges
Yeomans recommends the glute bridge as one of the best daily weight loss exercises for women. This move will ignite your glutes, so get ready to feel the burn.
How to do it:
- Lie flat on your back.
- Bend both knees and place your feet on the floor.
- Keep your arms at your sides, palms down.
- Push your feet to push your hips toward the sky until your hips, knees, and shoulders form a straight line.
- Squeeze your glutes at the top for a moment, then gradually lower back down.
- Perform 3 sets of 15 repetitions.
Superman
Yeomans also recommends the Superman exercise.
How to do it:
- To settle in, lie flat on your stomach.
- Extend your arms above your head and make sure your legs are extended.
- Focus your gaze on the floor in front of you as you slowly raise your arms and legs.
- Hold this position for a moment before releasing.
- Perform 3 sets of 20 repetitions.
Board holds
How to do it:
- Place your hands shoulder-width apart on a workout mat.
- Raise up to the balls of your feet so that your body is in a straight line.
- Lower your forearms so your elbows are just under your shoulders.
- Keep your core engaged as you hold this position and make sure your back doesn’t collapse inward.
- Perform 3 sets of one-minute holds.
Alternating bird dogs
How to do it:
- Get on all fours, aligning your hands with your shoulders and your knees under your hips.
- Straighten your right arm in front of you and your opposite leg behind you.
- Stay in this position for a few seconds.
- Bring your knee and elbow together so they meet under your body.
- Repeat on the opposite side.
- Perform 3 sets of 20 repetitions.
Alexa Mellardo
Alexa is the Mind + Body Associate Editor at Eat This, Not That!, overseeing the M+B channel and bringing readers interesting topics on fitness, wellness, and self-care. Learn more about Alexa
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