Ah, the age old question: what type of exercise is best for weight loss? That’s simple! The one you will do day after day, for the rest of your life! That was easy, right? No need to read any further. But wait, there’s more!
Honestly, despite what you may heave heard about Hanz and Franz, I don’t really like exercise. I would rather be sitting around eating junk food while watching great movies. But is that realistic? Not really. I can’t stay in shape with that kind of mindset, so I have to find exercises that I will do regularly, or I will find excuses to not do them. When Hanz is around I have someone to keep me motivated. Ya!
Okay, really, what type of exercise is best for weight loss? Is it cardio or strength? I hear so many different discussions about the advantages of both. Honestly, adding one pound of muscle mass to your body burns another five to ten calories a day. Serious weight lifters who lift to their maximum for sixty to ninety minutes a day may see more calorie burn, but overall, cardio exercise has always been the best way to shed the pounds.
Don’t get me wrong. Strength training is very important and you should find something that you enjoy doing to keep and add to existing muscle mass. I am not a “go to the gym,” muscle head, kind of guy. I have more of an ectomorph frame – what you would associate a cyclist looks like. I love to ride my bike, so that is my cardio workout. I also love to walk. When I can’t bike, I park my vehicle far away from places I am going to just so I can get in more walking. I walk to the store whenever possible. I create ways to make myself exercise. That is something I will do and be consistent at. For me, I need a reason to exercise. So I mix tasks in with my walking or biking so I am accomplishing two things at once.
But, when it comes to strength training, I find injury can be avoided by just using my own body weight to achieve a good workout. A Fitball is an effective yet inexpensive piece of fitness equipment that you can buy and use at home to work on overall muscle tone and core strength. A good one will come with a poster of exercises you can do that will incorporate great strength routines, and yet be challenging. Yoga and Pilates are two other ways to improve overall muscle strength while promoting well being.
Since I live the full time RV living lifestyle, I have to make my exercise easy and transportable. That is why some of the things I mentioned work well for me. But I started doing these things years ago while I still lived in one place. They have translated well to the full time RV living lifestyle and will work well for you too. It does not matter whether you own a home, live in an apartment, an RV, are a business traveler, etc. Find ways to do exercise that you enjoy. Do that and you will achieve your weight loss and fitness goals!
When someone asks you what type of exercise is best for weight loss, what will you say? Franz wishes you the best health for the New Year!
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