Best Exercise for Weight Loss
So I just want to start by saying that I am not trained in exercise or nutrition. Please read my disclosure here. However, I did win a very small bikini competition, and got down to 119 pounds. I also gained a ton of weight (50 pounds) with my pregnancy. And I also lost all of that weight and back to pre-pregnancy weight. You can read about my personal weight loss story here, if you're interested!
The question arose of which type of exercise is better for losing weight, cardio or lifting weights?The short answer to this is.. both!
Just a little background on my prep for my bikini competition…
I only did about 20 minutes of cardio, three times a week to achieve this
look. And that cardio came from the
stair climber at the local gym. I wanted
to do that to lift the booty more than anything! My prep consistent of a very clean diet, with
one cheat meal a week, and lots of heavy weight lifting.
So when it comes to losing weight… There are numerous
factors that go into it. Simply
expending more calories than you are taking in is the normal premise of losing
weight. But sometimes, even when you’re dieting,
the scale isn’t budging. If you continue to do the same thing, eat the same thing, and hit a wall with your weight loss, then you should change it up. Change your diet a little, have a cheat meal, change your workout, or simply REST!
Calorie-wise, you can burn 252 calories while running, but only burn 175 calories with weight lifting (for 30 minutes, and a 140 lb person). So you would think that I would say that running or cardio is the best exercise for weight loss, right? Not exactly..
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| Image from Pinterest |
If you have more muscle mass, then you will burn more calories at rest. 5 pounds of fat burns only 20 calories a day, while 5 pounds of muscle burns 250 calories a day! This means that if you are weight lifting and building more muscle, you will actually lose more weight.
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| Image from Pinterest |
Thus, the best type of exercise is one that has cardio and strength training combined. This doesn't mean that you have to take a class with both in it. It just means incorporate both into your routine. Go take a walk around your neighborhood a couple times a week, do a workout video, go to the gym and do some circuit training.
I want to finish by encouraging you to do whatever exercise is best for YOU! Don't have your goal to be to run on the treadmill if you absolutely hate running! Running isn't my favorite, so I do the spinning bike. Also, I have been a HUGE fan of boxing, lately. It incorporates strength training and cardio. Its the best class, EVER!
Do what makes you happy, try to move each day, and make healthier choices!
Thanks for stopping by!
💗-Ashley
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