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Jan 27

13 best cardio workouts for weight loss – Women’s Health UK

Lose Weight Fast Comments Off on 13 best cardio workouts for weight loss – Women’s Health UK

Cardio is as any type of exercise that gets your heart rate up for a prolonged period of time. So many different types of cardio for weight loss have come to the fore of the

Love to walk? Head for the park. Prefer to get busy on the rowing machine? That's cool too. Can't stay away from cycling? Keep up the spin classes. And where would we be without the ever-popular run? An average of 1,900 people search for advice on the best cardio for weight loss every month, so here's a real take on cardio for fat loss and, particularly, belly fat, so you can get moving in a way that's good for your body and mind.

'"Cardio" is short for cardiovascular exercise and simply means any type of exercise that increases your heart rate and maintains it,' explains Yumi Nutrition's strength and conditioning coach Kate Whapples. 'Its also sometimes known as aerobic exercise as it relies on your bodys ability to utilise oxygen to maintain efforts for a significant amount of time.'

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of cardio for weight loss, we'd also like to add that there are a myriad of cardio benefits, including regulation of appetite, heart health and protecting your immune system, so keep those front and centre when planning your exercise.

Don't forget: Standing on the scales is just a snapshot of your body in that moment what's more important is your overall health and how you feel throughout the day/week/month.

Losing weight comes down to being in a calorie deficit this means expending more calories than you consume. Being in a calorie deficit can be done by adjusting your diet or your exercise, but the best approach tends to combine the two. (This handy calorie counter will help you calculate how many calories you need to eat to reach a healthy weight.)

But how can cardio help you stay in a calorie deficit? Whapples explains:

'People lose weight when their energy input is less than their energy output. If someone is consuming the recommended amount of calories but burning more calories than that by doing cardio workouts, their output would be larger than their intake, resulting in weight loss.'

Word to the wise: If you're already at a healthy weight for your height, a calorie deficit is not something you should be chasing. Similarly, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, taking prescription medication, have an adrenal-related medical condition or a teenager or child you should absolutely not try to maintain a calorie deficit.

Learning how to lose body fat, however, is a slightly different kettle of fish. When people talk about weight loss they're often referring to the number on the scale going down fat loss is more specific, explicitly referring to lowering your body fat percentage and not losing mass from muscle tissue or water retention.

If you're trying to lose fat, adding in regular resistance training to your workout routine, alongside your cardio, will be important more on this later.

Cardio alone works in favour of fat loss as it increases your heart rate and, once your HR is high enough (and you've used all the usual blood sugars and carbs up), your body is forced to convert fat into energy.

If you're trying to shift stubborn fat (including trying to get rid of back fat or, case in point, to lose belly fat), a routine that combines cardio for calorie burn and resistance training to preserve lean muscle tissue will serve you better than a cardio-only programme.

You might also need to get more granular with your nutrition as losing body fat can be manipulated by tinkering with where you're getting your energy from. Focusing on getting enough protein or learning how to calculate the best macros for fat loss for you is a good place to start.

Let's get one thing clear first: not all cardio is created equal. Each type burns different amounts of calories and can be more or less time-efficient. Plus, how much energy one woman requires to do a workout will be very different to another because our body makeup (amount of muscle etc) is all different.

For example, the number of calories you burn skipping rope for 30 minutes is very different to how many you'd burn walking outside for the same amount of time. And a mum pushing a pram is going to use more cals than say, two pals taking a leisurely amble with a flat white through the park.

You'll want to consider the following lifestyle factors, too:

Make the cardio kind you go for the one you enjoythe workout you look forward to is the one you keep up, after all.

'Whilst some exercises do burn more calories than others (burpees and jump rope typically come out on top), I always advise people that doing an exercise you enjoy is the best way to lose weight as youre more likely to be consistent. One day of burpees is nowhere near as effective as a consistent schedule of circuit training, for example,' says Whapples.

After consistency, timing is a key factor too what does your schedule actually allow for? The best cardio for weight loss you can do is the one you can commit to regularly. If you can only make time to swim once a month, it mightn't be the best choice. Whereas a lunchtime walk can (usually) easily be incorporated into most schedules.

'If you're short on time due to work and family commitments then HIIT training is your go-to,' says Aimee Victoria Long, strength and conditioning PT. 'If you have more time on your hands and enjoy the outdoors then give running a go. Keep it simple and find what works best for you around your day-to-day demands.'

Can you do only cardio to lose weight? As we've mentioned, cardio exercises to lose weight and burn fat should be complemented by strength training and proper recovery (the three S': sleep, stress management and stretching) if you want to lose weight well. The following types of cardio are great to underpin your workout schedule but make sure to mix it up too.

To note, the following workouts have been ranked in order of general effectiveness for weight loss by the experts, but know that what works for others, may not work for you. The one you enjoy and will remain consistent with is the one that will you'll reap the rewards from.

The cream of the cardio crop, HIIT (high-intensity interval training) comes up time and time again for helping people to lose weight in less time. Characterised by short periods of intense work followed immediately by rest periods, HIIT works your cardiovascular system hard and fast. If you're looking to burn fat (whether that's belly fat, back fat, or otherwise), it's one of your best choices as it's over double-quick and makes you work super hard at the same time.

Like to follow a plan? This WH four-week HIIT plan is perfect to do at home and you don't need any kit to do it. Win!

Running can be a great way to get your cardio fix. It raises your heart rate and can keep it there for prolonged periods of time if you go for longer distances, which explains why it's a good cardio for weight and fat loss pick.

'Your fitness level will determine how intense your runs are but long runs can be a lower intensity way to keep your heart rate high and constant during a workout,' says Long. So, lace up those running shoes, adjust your fitness tracker and get ready to run (after a decent running warm-up, of course).

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If you've never laced up and gone for a run don't pile on the pressure that you run should be a certain time or distance. If it's 2 mins to start with - go you. One our of reader's had great success with Couch to 5K - why not read her story?

Swimming for weight loss is a low-impact and joint-friendly way to improve your cardiovascular ability. Not only does it require every muscle in your body to work to keep you afloat one of the only forms of exercise that does but it also forces your lungs to work differently, too.

A doubleheader, swimming can improve your stamina and help to build lean muscle tissue at the same time. TLDR? Get in the water!

Getting more steps in is an easy and cost-effective form of cardio. In fact, walking for weight loss is one of the most common ways people work on improving their body composition (i.e. fat loss) without stressing sore knees and ankles out in the process. Try this four-week walking plan to get you going.

Got your helmet, bike lights and lock and want to hit the road? Well, we say get out there. Cycling is one of the most adaptable kinds of cardio for weight loss since it can be made high or low intensity depending on where you take your bike. Head to the hills for hard interval training up and down the peaks or choose somewhere flat for a little steady-state cardio. Being outside is just the icing on the cake.

Make like Jessica Alba's Honey Daniels (#throwback) and step and slide your way through cardio for weight loss. You'll learn some new skills and get lost in the routine which can really help make the workout go by that bit quicker.

Circuit training is one of the most effective ways to improve your cardio and build muscle at the same time, while building muscle contributes to fat loss, so this one's a triple win. Circuit workouts can be done with or without home gym equipment and in the gym or at home.

Skipping workouts are up there with the best (and most inclusive) forms of cardio for weight and fat loss as they can be made harder or easier depending on the way you choose to skip. Slow and steady will keep your heart rate consistently raised or you could try an interval-style workout where you intersperse quick skipping with rest periods to get your breath back.

Have a hankering to get outside? Well, if you live near some green and grassy areas, hiking might be just the thing for you. You'll clear your mind and get your heart rate up too exactly the kind of cardio-combo we love at WH.

A machine that most gyms seem to have hundreds of, the elliptical (sometimes called the cross-trainer) is a low-impact form of cardio for weight loss. Whether you choose to add or remove resistance or make it a slow and steady or fast and furious workout, there's nothing quite like plugging into a podcast and getting it done on a machine.

No fear, you don't need to be on a body of water to reap the rewards of a rowing workout. Hop on any rowing machine as a solid form of cardio for weight (and fat loss), and you'll build strength through your arms, shoulders and back, as well as your lower body, thighs and glutes, too.

Boxing is a total-body workout that strengthens your heart and muscles while also improving coordination, agility and balance. Some boxing classes also incorporate HIIT-style training into the workout, meaning that you get periods of intensity followed by rest, which - as we know from the top of this list - is the golden standard for efficient workouts.

If you're looking for a low-impact workout that still improves bone density, balance and spatial awareness and gets your heart rate up, look no further than a trampolining workout. A study conducted at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse also found that the rate of perceived exertion (RPE) when engaging in trampolining was light, even though the exercise met the standards for cardiorespiratory fitness. Translation: you work hard without realising it.

If thirty minutes is all you have then yes, of course, it's enough if done regularly. The whole point of your workout routine should be around what you can make work for you. Regular movement is the goal not upending your life for a month to get lengthy cardio sessions in to quit after a month and never start again. PT Long breaks it down:

'If you can only fit in 20-30 minutes a day then only do 20-30 minutes each day,' she says. 'Or, if on some days you can't work out but the next day you have an hour free, do that. If this is the case and you can perform three 1-hour sessions a week, the calorie expenditure (how many calories you burn) at the end of the week will be the same as if you were working out six times a week for 30-minutes.'

Make it work for you and you're more likely to stay the course.

Become a member of the Women's Health Collective and get full access to the Women's Health app, available to download on Google Play and the App Store, to get the latest celebrity-inspired workouts and fitness content.

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13 best cardio workouts for weight loss - Women's Health UK

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