Weight Loss and Exercise: What Exercises To Do To Lose Weight

Types of exercises for weight loss

Exercise at least 250 minutes a week to lose weight.

When it comes to physical activity, there are two things to remember: how much you move and how vigorously you move.

To prevent weight gain, you need to achieve both: at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity per week.

“However, remember to start slowly with your exercise regimen and gradually increase its intensity and frequency,” advises physiotherapists from the Lifestyle Enhancement & Fitness Improvement programme at Singapore General Hospital (SGH), a member of the SingHealth group.

Types of exercises for weight loss

Moderate-intensity aerobic activity

What is considered moderate physical activity? It's an activity that elevates your heartrate and makes you breathe slightly harder than normal. Examples include:

Badminton
Brisk walking
Leisure cycling
Tennis

Vigorous-intensity aerobic activity

Basketball
Running
Soccer

Equally important is incorporating incidental physical activity such as common daily activities. These are activities we do as part of life and are of low- to moderate-intensity exercise.

These can also be used as a form of exercise if done for a minimum of 10 minutes at a time and can be accumulated over the day.

Daily activities that can be a form of exercise include

Taking the stairs instead of the lift/escalator
Getting off the bus early and walking the rest of the way to your destination
Parking your car far from your destination and walking
Household chores such as vacuuming, dusting, ironing, dishwashing

If your goal is to lose weight, you should target at least 250 minutes of exercise per week, instead of the 150 minutes required for weight maintenance.

"Your weekly exercise routine should also include resistance exercises," says Dr Tham. She adds, "Resistance exercises, allow for building of muscles and with stronger muscles we are able to engage in higher intensity physical activity or exercise."