In short the answer is yes, you do need to do sports to lose weight. Exercise and sports along with a healthy diet is the best and most successful way to lose weight. You should approach your exercise and diet plan with a focus on how you will look and feel, not how much you weigh. This means that you should think in terms of inches lost, not pounds due to the fact that muscle weighs more than fat. The following sports can help you on your way to losing weight alongside your healthy diet.
Tennis
Have you been inspired by the recent Wimbledon competition? Tennis is a great and fun way to stay fit and is an effective way to lose weight. Similar to sports such as swimming, it is considered a great way to lose weight as it involves upper and lower body strength as well as providing a cardio workout. Tennis can help you lose weight by reducing fat and toning the muscles in your body, especially in your arms and legs. Go down to your local tennis club and sign up for some lessons or organise a casual game with a friend and enjoy this sport that requires speed, agility, core strength, stamina and mental toughness.
Cycling
With an exciting and event filled Tour de France that is currently underway in France, you might be attracted to try cycling as a way to get fit and lose weight. Whether you want to go cycling with some friends or on your own, you can choose different routes that meet your tastes, whether that is countryside lanes or city streets, you can cycle to different places to take in the sites. All you need is a bike and helmet and you are ready to go and burn calories and fat. Cycling is great for improving all round fitness along with strength and endurance and as it is low impact, taking the weight of the rider, it is a great alternative if you struggle with the pressure on your joints by other sports such as running.
Swimming
One of the most effective sports activities, swimming is a great way to lose weight and tone up as it practically engages almost all parts of your body. Swimming will set you well on your way to achieving the body you want and as a high calorie burning sport; it will help you to eventually lose weight. Involving your legs and arms to propel you through the water which itself acts as resistance, every arm stroke and kick forms part of a resistance exercise.
Eating healthily
What you eat affects how you feel today, tomorrow and the future and therefore good nutrition is an important part of your healthy lifestyle. Combining a healthy diet with regular exercise can help you to maintain a healthy weight and reduce the possibility and risk of chronic diseases. Timing your meals around workouts is just as important as what you eat if you want to keep your energy levels up. Through eating healthily, you will get the nutrients you need to take part in your favourite sport or activity and is the best way to get the most out of your sport.
Make exercising part of your weekly routine or daily schedule and keep things interesting so that it becomes a habit and seamlessly part of your week and get inspired by recent or upcoming sporting events. Stay motivated and committed to your goals as if you don’t see the immediate results it can be difficult to self-motivate. You may find that you have put weight on having started a strict diet and exercise routine however, this may be down to your fat turning into muscle and you should therefore not get disheartened.