Dr Hilary Jones reveals 2 ‘ideal’ exercises for weight loss

Not everyone wants to lose weight, but if you do, you’ll want to do it healthily and keep the weight off for as long as possible. It’s a careful balance of dietary changes, good sleeping habits, and regular exercise.

Some exercises for weight loss may be more useful than others, though – and that’s what a home Pilates workout, a brisk walk, and a dumbbell workout at the gym all have in common. According to GP Dr Hilary Jones, low-intensity steady-state (LISS) exercise and strength training are two “ideal” types of exercise that can help you lose weight and keep it off long term.

One of the recommended exercises was LISS. This stands for low-intensity steady state training, and “it’s nothing new”, Dr Jones says, but can be a very productive way to get moving and burn calories.

“It’s exercise at mild to moderate intensity for say, half an hour to an hour,” he says. “This would include walking, brisk walking, aquarobics, swimming, yoga, these types of things. You don’t need to go at it like a bull in a china shop, in the gym doing high-intensity stuff all the time. This is a good way to burn calories most efficiently. You’re using more oxygen, and that oxygen is burning fat.”

NHS guidelines for exercise recommend 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise, spread over the week, to lower the risk of serious diseases like diabetes, cancer, and heart disease in women. But Dr Jones says that these and “longevity itself” are connected to our weight “and we know that two-thirds of the adult population are overweight or obese”.

The second exercise recommended by Dr Jones was strength training for women. “Resistance training does different things. You’re using muscle rather than cardio all the time, you’re using protein, but you’re also reducing your metabolism even at rest,” he says.

Sign up to our free daily email for the latest royal and entertainment news, interesting opinion, expert advice on styling and beauty trends, and no-nonsense guides to the health and wellness questions you want answered.

“With cardio, you burn calories while you’re exercising, but with strength training, you increase your metabolism, so even after the exercise and in between exercises, you’re burning calories. This is good for long-term fat loss,” he says.

Doing both LISS exercise and strength training, which you can do in the gym or at home with weights like dumbbells and kettlebells or your own body weight, is “the ideal thing”.

But how often do you have to exercise to see this benefit? “Three to five sessions a week of strength training and two to three sessions of aerobic cardio exercise,” Dr Jones says. “That’s about the best combination if you want the steady weight loss.”

You may like

Types of LISS exerciseBrisk walkingAquarobicsSwimmingYogaPilatesCyclingEllipticalClimbing the stairsRowing

Other benefits of LISS exercise

The benefits of LISS exercise and strength training for weight loss as exercises for weight loss are clear, but what about the other benefits of this slow and steady type of cardio? Emily Servante, a certified personal trainer at Ultimate Performance, told woman&home: “For busy people with a lot of stress, taking the time out of your day to go for a walk can be better than high-intensity exercise for bringing down cortisol levels and clearing your head.”

While you can do your 10,000 steps at home with a walking pad, most experts advise you take your LISS workout outdoors. “If you opt for a walk or a bike ride, you’ll get some fresh air and hopefully some exposure to sunlight. And we know that circadian rhythms – which is basically the way our body regulates our sleep-wake cycle – are dependent on sunlight,” says Servante. “So, more sunlight leads to better-regulated sleep.”

Not only that, but the two exercises go hand in hand. Your LISS exercise can help you out when it comes to strength training. “It might enhance your recovery between strength training sessions,” says Servante. “If you’ve got sore legs from squats, going for a power walk the next day will help with blood flow and nutrient delivery to the damaged muscles.”

This type of exercise also has social benefits – you can go for a bike ride, a spot of walking yoga, or a gentle run with a friend and not feel out of breath, making it the perfect way to catch up while getting your heart rate up.

Why LISS works for everyone

LISS exercise is a good addition to anyone’s exercise routine, regardless of fitness level, says Lily Chapman, a performance coach and nutritionist for P3rform. She previously told woman&home: “You can use LISS exercise to improve your physical and mental wellbeing, whether you’ve never set foot into a gym before or you’ve been working out for years as its intensity and duration can be altered depending on where your level is at.”

Just be careful of doing too much of any type of exercise. As Dr Jones says, it’s not about doing exercise beyond your personal capabilities. If you’re new to exercise, start small as “high impact may induce injury,” says Chapman.