Lose weight with sport: suitable sports and tips

Many people want to lose weight through exercise, but not everyone finds it easy. We give effective tips and show you how to stay on the ball.

If you eat noticeably less and exercise more, you will naturally lose weight faster. However, this “simple” method is not recommended: you will quickly get hungry, the sport will be too exhausting and no fun – the whole thing robs you of energy. The likelihood that you will give up quickly increases.

Therefore, if you want to lose weight through exercise, you shouldn’t aim to lose weight as quickly as possible. It is more important to find methods that motivate you to exercise regularly.

Losing weight with exercise: important considerations

If you want to lose weight through exercise (and fun!), you should consider the following questions:

1. Which sport do I enjoy? If you don’t enjoy jogging even after the third attempt, then you shouldn’t force yourself to do it anymore. Instead, try dancing, climbing, playing soccer, or lifting weights. In another article we will show you how you can find a suitable sport. For some people, variety in sport is also motivating.

2. When do I have enough time and energy for my sports sessions? If you want to lose weight through exercise, you need to exercise regularly. Morning exercise has some outstanding benefits. But one truism isn’t true: If you exercise on an empty stomach, you won’t lose weight any faster. If you can’t get out of bed in the morning when university or your work starts at 8 a.m. anyway, don’t torture yourself. Sport can also have a relaxing effect after work. Especially if you’ve been sitting for a long time, your body may need the movement. So it’s best to set a time that makes it easier for you to do your training two to three times a week.

3. Why do I actually want to lose weight? We all want to look good. But this desire is rarely enough motivation to stick to a diet, change your diet or exercise regularly. So find a reason that goes deeper. Not only can exercise help you lose weight, it can also help you improve your physical or mental health.

Losing weight with exercise: health before vanity

Sport should primarily serve your health. Sport can help you in these cases:

• Back pain (especially yoga, abdominal training, or strength training)

• low energy level
• Irritable bowel syndrome

• Diabetes and insulin resistance (especially if you eat more fatty products.)

People who suffer from depression can also benefit from exercise. In general, exercise is very effective in combating the symptoms of depression. However, those affected often find it difficult to motivate themselves to train. Under no circumstances should outsiders put you under pressure – this can have a counterproductive effect. Anyone who manages to exercise two to three times a week on their own will notice a significant difference. Important: Sport does not replace the treatment of depression, but it can have a supportive effect.

Exercise can also help you look at your body in a new way: feeling what you’re capable of can boost your self-esteem. Several studies confirm: High intensity and strength training in particular support this effect.

Lose weight with exercise: muscles instead of fat

Men often specifically do strength training to build muscle. But women can also benefit from muscle exercise: muscles prevent the skin from becoming sagging and improve cellulite.

But more importantly, muscles burn fat even while you’re not doing anything. If you build more muscle, you lose more fat during rest periods. When it comes to training, you can either go to the gym, use home fitness equipment, or do a bodyweight workout.

Important: If you want to build muscle in order to lose weight in the long term through exercise, you must eat enough. Because if you eat too little, you prevent your muscles from growing. You will also be more exhausted after exercise or may suffer from cravings – which may lead you to resort to unhealthy food. So try to get enough proteins and healthy fats. This means you stay full longer, have enough energy for your workout and build muscle.

Lose weight with more intensity: HII training

If you are generally fit and do not have any noticeable circulatory problems, there is a particularly efficient way to lose weight through exercise that may be ideal for you: so-called high-intensity interval training, or HIIT for short.

HII training, which is particularly well-known in fitness and strength training circles, is characterized by short and intensive training intervals that last approximately 15 to 20 minutes, followed by extensive stretching sessions and, above all, essential rest days.

You can use gym equipment or weights for the training sessions – but your own body weight is usually sufficient. This type of training is perfect for anyone who has little time, wants to squeeze in a quick workout before work and wants to improve their general fitness efficiently. In addition, your body is not overloaded by the training because it is short and rest days are planned.

Important: You should only attempt HII training if you feel physically capable of it. If you suffer from circulatory problems or other complaints, you should seek medical advice. It’s better to start slowly before you start exercising too intensively. Cycling, swimming, yoga, Nordic walking, but also strength training are very suitable for beginners.

Why HIIT works:

• It activates your anaerobic system, which builds more muscle.
• HIIT goes straight to your stubborn belly fat and deeper fat reserves.

• Test subjects demonstrably lost more weight during HII training than during other sports.

How HIIT works:

• You do a particular exercise for as long and as intensely as you can (with 85 to 100 percent of your energy).
• This can take between 15 and 30 seconds.

• Important: Do the exercise correctly. As soon as you no longer have the strength to devote your full energy to it, take a break. (Take between ten and 60 seconds to do this.)

• Repeat the exercise two to three times.
• Choose exercises that require your full effort and that alternately work different parts of your body: squats, lunges, jumping jacks, knee jumps, push-up jumps, etc.
• For more inspiration, you can find a variety of workout videos on YouTube.

Afterwards you should definitely take a break for two days.

Losing weight with exercise: These tips can help

No matter which sport you choose, these tips can help you keep going with exercise while losing weight:

• Don’t be demotivated if you don’t keep your resolutions. Didn’t do any exercise for a week? No problem, every day offers a new opportunity. The workout wasn’t as intense as planned? Not so bad, you’ll improve. Remember: any time is better than no time.

• Put the scale away. The scale does not accurately indicate your body mass composition. If you gain weight, it can also be a sign that you are developing muscle mass. The scale cannot tell you what your body fat percentage is.

• If your clothes are tight, it doesn’t automatically mean you’ve gained weight. Sometimes it’s just a sign that you have bloating. So try not to check your clothing size every day, but only at longer intervals.
• Don’t forget to stretch thoroughly after your workout. This will help you prevent injuries and severe muscle soreness.

Read more on Techzle\.com:

• Do sports: This is how you find the right sport
• Morning exercise: 8 reasons for a morning workout
• Sport during pregnancy: which sport and how much of it?

Edited by Paula Boslau

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