At Last!12 Proven Weight Loss Exercises Women Enjoy Today

Do you dread working out? Does thinking about going to the gym or working out at home send chills down your spines? If yes, you are not alone.

You see, there are a lot of women like you who want to lose weight and become fit, but aren’t motivated to workout.

Well, the reason why you aren’t motivated to workout may be because you aren’t enjoying it.

If your workout is fun and enjoyable, chances are, you will never skip a workout, regardless of how busy you are.  

Here are 12 fun weight loss exercises that can help you achieve your fitness goals.

1. Cycling: Pedal off those extra pounds

Cycling is a fun exercise that can improve your overall health and help you achieve your fitness goal.

Unlike some exercises that can only be performed indoors, cycling can be done both indoors and outdoors.

So, if the weather is good, you can take your bike out. However, if you cannot, you can visit a gym that has stationary bikes for your workout.

Most people have the notion that cycling isn’t really the best way to burn fat and lose weight. But that is far from the truth.

A report from the Harvard Health shows that a person weighing around 70 kg can burn up to 260 calories if they cycle at a moderate pace on a stationary bike.

Studies have found that cycling does more than just help you lose weight. People who cycle regularly have a lower risk of diseases like cancer, insulin sensitivity, and health diseases (1)(2).

Cycling is the perfect exercise for beginners as well as athletes, as it is effective and doesn’t strain the joints.

Take away

Cycling is an enjoyable exercise that is perfect for those who are new to working out, as well as for fitness enthusiasts. Cycling regularly can help you achieve your fitness goal and reduce the risk of contracting diseases.

2. Swim your way to weight loss

You definitely will agree that swimming is fun and exciting.

But do you know that swimming regularly can help you lose weight?  

According to a report from Harvard Health, a person weighing approximately 70kg can burn up to 233 calories if she swims for 30 minutes. Note that the way and manner you swim may affect the number of calories you burn.  

A person weighing 70kg can burn up to 409 calories by doing a butterfly stroke for 30 minutes, 298 calories by doing backstroke for 30 minutes, and 372 calories by doing breaststroke for 30 minutes.  

A 12-week study with 24 participants, which were women, found that swimming for an hour, three times weekly can help reduce fat, increase flexibility, and reduce the risk of diseases like high cholesterol and heart disease (3).

Swimming is an excellent workout for people with joint pain or other injuries as it exerts very little or no impact on the joints. It is also perfect for people who are new to working out.

Take away

Research has shown that swimming for 30 minutes a couple of times a week can stimulate weight loss and reduce the risks of some diseases. You can add swimming to the activities you do each week to burn more calories.

3. Relive stress and burn fat with yoga 

As you likely know, yoga is a common way to increase flexibility and relieve stress.

While most people don’t really see it as a great exercise for weight loss, when done correctly, it can burn hundreds of calories. Even more, it can help reduce the risk of some diseases.

Yoga is a great workout even for obese people. 

According to a 12-week study, where obese participants engaged in a 90-minute yoga session twice a week, at the end of the study, the participants experienced a significant reduction in their waist size (4).

The participants of the study who practiced yoga also experienced a significant improvement in their mental health (5).

According to an estimate by Harvard Health, a person weighing 70 kg can burn up to 150 calories after a 30 minutes yoga session.

Other studies have shown that apart from burning fat, yoga can also help control overeating and help you reduce the hunger for unhealthy food (6) (7).

The good thing about yoga is that it can be done anywhere. Also, you don’t need any special tool or equipment to do it.

Take away

Yoga is an excellent fat loss exercise that can be done almost anywhere. It can also help reduce cravings for unhealthy food and boost mental health.  

4. Walk your way to a slimmer body

Walking is an excellent exercise for people who want to lose weight without stressing themselves out.

Since it can be done anywhere and doesn’t require any equipment, it is perfect for people who are new to working out.

Bear in mind that walking is a low impact exercise, your joints ache when you are done.

Harvard Health estimates that a person weighing 70kg can burn up to 167 calories if he walks at a moderate pace of 6.6 kilometers per hour.

A 12-week study where 20 obese women walked for 50 to 70 minutes trice weekly showed that walking is a great part of weight loss exercises. The participants of the study experienced a reduction in their body fat levels (8).

There are numerous ways you can add walking to your routine. You can choose to take your dog for walks regularly or take the stairs instead of the elevator.

To start, aim to walk for 20 to 30 minutes a couple of times a week. As you become more comfortable with it, you can increase the frequency and duration of your walks.

Take away

Walking is the perfect exercise for beginners, as it doesn’t require any equipment, and can be done anywhere. The number of calories you can burn from walking is determined by the pace at which you walk.

5. Run to your fitness goals

Running is a great exercise that can help you lose those extra pounds.

While running and jogging are somewhat similar, they aren’t the same.

When you are jogging, your pace is likely going to be between 6 to 9 kilometers per hour. If you are running, on the other hand, your pace is going to be above 9 km/h.

Studies have shown that running, as well as jogging, can help burn visceral fat; a fat that lingers on the organs and is linked to diseases like diabetes (9) (10) (11).

Just like walking, running and jogging can be done anywhere. If you are new to it, you can start small and work your way up.

Because both of them are great and offer a lot of benefits, you have the freedom to do the one you are more comfortable with.

If outdoor running affects your joints, you can choose to run on soft surfaces instead.

Take away

Running and jogging are excellent exercises that can help you burn fat quickly. Try running for 20 to 30 minutes a few times a week if you are new to it.

6. Break a sweat by doing Pilates

Pilates is part of excellent weight loss exercises that is perfect for beginners and athletes.

According to a study that was conducted a while back, a person weighing 64kg can burn up to 100 calories after a 30 minutes basic level Pilates workout, and 168 calories after an advanced level workout within the same duration.

Because Pilates isn’t as intense as some aerobic exercise, you may not burn too many calories.

That said, studies have shown that many people find it more enjoyable than other exercises (12).

Since it is fun and enjoyable, you won’t get bored and are likely going to stick to it.

Apart from helping you lose weight, Pilates offers other health benefits.

Research has shown that Pilates can help improve endurance, strength, flexibility, and overall health (13) (14) (15).

So incorporating Pilates into your weekly routine will go a long way to help you lose fat quickly.

Take away

Several studies have shown that Pilates is part of weight loss exercises that is perfect for beginners and athletes who have been working out for years. Apart from helping you burn fat, Pilates offers other health benefits.

7. Explore your limit with HIIT

HIIT, which stands for high-intensity interval training, is a great exercise for anyone who wants to step out of her fitness comfort zone and explore new waters.

The term HIIT refers to a short but intense exercise that is followed by short rest periods.

A typical HIIT workout session can last anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes. Within this time, you can burn hundreds of calories.

Research has shown that HIIT burns more than 30% more calories than other exercises like running and weight training (16).

This means that if you do HIIT, you will burn a lot of calories without spending endless hours working out.

Several studies have shown that HIIT is great at burning stomach fat, which is associated with a lot of diseases (17) (18) (19) (20).

Incorporating HIIT into your workout routine isn’t as difficult as you are probably thinking. All you need do is to pick an exercise like biking or running at your rest time.

If you have picked running, for example, run as fast as you can for 30 seconds, reduce your pace to a slow jog for 60 seconds. Repeat this for 20 to 30 minutes.

Take away

HIIT is an excellent weight loss strategy that can be applied to a wide range of exercises. You can be confident of burning more calories if you incorporate HIIT into your workout routine.

8. Weight training: Sculpt your body by lifting heavy

If you want to lose weight, build muscles, and have a little fun along the way, then you should give weight training a try.

Seeing yourself lift, progressing day by day, will keep you excited and motivated to keep pushing.

But just how effective is weight training?

According to an estimate by Harvard Health, a person weighing 70kg can burn up to 112 calories after a 30 minute weight training session.

Apart from helping you lose weight, weight training can also increase your muscle mass and strength levels. This will go a long way in increasing the number of calories your body can burn while you are resting (21).

According to a 6-month study, doing strength training for 11 minutes, 3 times weekly, can boost your metabolic rate by 7.4%. Because of the increase, the participants of the study were able to burn an additional 130 calories each day (22).

Another study linked weight training to a 9% increase in metabolic rate in men and a 4% increase in women. This is equivalent to burning roughly 140 calories daily in men and 50 calories in women (22).

Take away

Weight training is a great exercise, as it can help you do everything from helping you build muscles to increasing your RMR (resting metabolic rate). You won’t regret adding it to your workout routine.

9. Burn fat with rock climbing

If you want to spice your workout with adrenaline and adventure, then you should try rock climbing.

As you likely know, rock climbing can be done indoors at a gym or outdoors.

Regardless of the one you pick, you will burn a lot of calories.

According to one study, a person weighing 155 pounds will burn 10 calories each minute while climbing.

The reason why it is an effective fat burn exercise is that it elevates the heart rate.

Unlike other exercises that target only one part of the body, rock climbing targets everywhere from the core, arms, and legs to the back and glutes.

Even more, rock climbing can improve your performance in other exercises.

One study shows that rock climbing can improve pushups, sit-ups, and handgrip strength (23).

Granted, rock climbing is great. But, it is not for everyone. People with health issues like diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure have to consult their doctors before giving it a try.

Be careful when rock climbing, as a slip or mistake can result in a serious injury.

Take away

Rock climbing is a great exercise that can be done both indoors and outdoors. It can help you burn more calories, increase your flexibility, and improve your performance in other exercises.

10. Dance off those pounds

Many consider dancing as a fun and exciting activity, but not as a great as other weight loss exercises.

But that is far from the truth.

Research has shown that a person can burn between 150 to 250 calories after a 30-minute dance session. This is almost the same amount of calories you will burn when you jog.

Dancing engages almost every part of the body (legs, arms, back, glutes, and core). It also increases flexibility and strength.

A study that was conducted in 2007, found that dancing can reduce stress, increase energy levels, and improve mood (24).

Note that dancing can either be a low impact or a high impact workout.

If you don’t have knee or joint issues, you can go all out and dance your heart out. However, if you have joint issues, you can wind things down and engage in less intense dancing.

Dancing is a great exercise for beginners, as it can be done anywhere and doesn’t require expensive equipment. Of course, some dance requires specific shoes.

You can sign up for a dance class to learn choreographed steps that can engage your entire body and improve your flexibility.

Take way

Dancing is part of weight loss exercises for beginners. You can burn between 150 to 250 calories after a 30-minute dance class.

11. Ditch the gym and start skipping 

This is a fun cardio exercise that can help you burn fat and become flexible.

Because it is effective, it is done by a lot of world-class athletes.

Since it is a full-body workout, you can expect to burn a lot of calories after doing it for a short time. You can burn up to 10 calories when you skip for just 60 seconds.

You can burn more calories if you increase the intensity of your skipping. If you are new to it, you should start with low intensity and work on your coordination and energy.

As you become more proficient in it, you can switch the intensity of your skipping a couple of times during your workout.

Jumping rope can also help build your stamina, tone your core and calves, and boost your lung’s capacity.

Do well to have a warm-up session before skipping so that you don’t overstretch your muscles.

Combining jumping rope with a good diet will help you achieve your weight loss goal quicker.

Take away

Skipping is a fun cardio exercise that can increase flexibility and burn calories. You can burn up between 10 calories or more after skipping for 1 minute.

12. Punch your way to calorie burn

Boxing is the perfect exercise for anyone who wants to shed calories, increase endurance, and have fun.

While boxing isn’t the main exercise everybody is doing to lose weight, it is super effective and offers more results than other exercises.

According to research conducted by Forza, a supplement brand, one can burn up to 750 to 800 calories after boxing for one hour.

One study found that boxing is better than some cardio exercises like brisk walking (25).

Many people have the notion that boxing is just about punching. But that is far from the truth, as it involves footwork, numerous defense technique, and head movement.

Apart from helping you lose weight, boxing can build mental toughness, increase your energy level, and help you lose weight.

Research has shown that boxing can engage muscle fibers that are often untouched by other exercises.

The reason for this is that the muscles stimulated when you are boxing are fast-twitch muscle fibers.

Take away

Boxing is an intense, but fun exercise that can help you burn up to 800 calories in one hour. It can also help build endurance, strength, and flexibility.

5 Factors that determine how much fat you can burn

To burn fat, you have to exercise regularly and eat healthy foods.

But even if you can do all of these, some factors may prevent you from achieving your fitness goal.

Below are a few of them.

Sleep

Several studies have shown the role sleep plays in weight loss.

Not getting enough sleep may reduce the rate at which your body burns fat. It could also intensify your cravings for junk food (26) (27).

Diet

Eating a balanced diet isn’t enough to lose weight.

Weight loss happens when you create a caloric deficit. This means eating a little bit less than the number of calories your body needs (28).

Age

Because older people have fewer muscles and more fat, it may take them a long time to lose weight.  

Research has also shown that older people have a lower RMR (resting metabolic rate) ratio. What this means is that they can only burn a few calories while you are at rest (29) (30).

Gender

Men are likely to burn more calories than women because they have a higher RMR ratio. This makes it easier for them to lose weight and build muscles (31).

Health condition

Studies have shown that people with chronic health conditions lose weight at a slower rate (32) (33) (34).

While most people want to shed those excess pounds quickly, experts recommend losing roughly 1% of your body weight (0.5 to 1.36 kg) weekly (35).

Losing weight too quickly can have a negative effect on your body. It can result in massive muscle loss, increase the risk of fatigue, hair loss, constipation, and dehydration, just to name a few (36) (37).

Also, people who lose fat quickly are likely to regain it (38).

The bottom line on weight loss exercises women enjoy

Weight loss isn’t a sprint, but a marathon.

So pick exercises that are fun, exciting, and makes you look forward to your next workout.

Bear in mind that an exercise that is fun for others may not be for you, so don’t do what everybody is doing.

Take a step out of your comfort zone and try some of the exercises discussed in this article.

And remember that regardless of the exercise you do, you aren’t going to see the results you so badly desire overnight.

So pick something that you enjoy doing so that you will be able to do it long enough to reap the results of your hard work