Exercising and working out have numerous benefits and we all have our own reasons for wanting to exercise. We might exercise for the mental health benefits or to develop muscle tone or increase our fitness levels. But perhaps the most common reason for exercise is to lose weight. (All the other benefits are brilliant added extras!) 

So, what are the best workouts if we want to lose weight? Is all exercise the same, or are there certain workouts that we should concentrate on, if weight loss is our main goal? It turns out, yes, there are certain workouts that are best for weight loss, and here they are!

• High Intensity Interval Training, or HIIT – HIIT is a type of training method that means that you work out at a very high intensity, but for short, sharp bursts of time. It’s a relatively new way of exercising, replacing for example, hour long sessions of aerobics that work you at a medium intensity. It’s estimated that 20 minute HIIT workouts can burn as many calories (which is the Holy Grail of weight loss) as 50 minutes of low intensity aerobic training. Sounds good, right? And it’s ideal if you don’t have an hour to spare to commit to exercise! You just need to make sure you’re working out at your maximum effort, and you’ll see the rewards soon enough. Great examples of HIIT workouts are our Power Box & Tone Combo Box, a ten minute intense session that burns 100 calories or our 15 minute Core HIIT that focuses on building core strength as well as calorie burn. If you’re looking for a longer term challenge, then why not begin working your way through our Fat Burn in 10 Challenge? 
• Walking, jogging and running are also great for burning calories and losing weight. You don’t have to go out and run for miles every day. Start off with short jogs for a few minutes at a time and you’ll soon become more confident and notice you can go a bit further each week or so. Jogging is ideal for fitting in around your OYG workouts but never underestimate the calorie burning potential of walking. Walking has multiple benefits, and weight loss is one of them. So where you can, leave the car at home and avoid the bus, walk and you’ll be fat burning without even realising. 
• As well as all that walking and following your Own Your Goals plan, you could also take on another one of our challenges that are designed to help with weight loss. If you love an upbeat, fun, fast and musical workout, then you’ll love our Dance Party classes. You’ll feel amazing afterwards, and actually, they’re brilliant fun whilst you’re doing them too! Or, if you like to feel powerful when you’re training, then our F.I.T Combat classes are definitely for you. Developed around martial moves, this six week course works on your cardiovascular fitness and muscular endurance as well as weight loss, so they’re a real win-win!