Which Sport is Best for Weight Loss?

Deciding whether to join a gym is one of life’s dilemmas. You know you probably ought to seek out the benefits of regular exercise but the thought of having to start out from scratch inside a place where there seems to be more Instagramming than actual cardio can be quite daunting. It is indeed ironic that being out of shape is often the biggest deterrent when contemplating joining a gym.

It may be a bank holiday, but the workouts keep going…💪#mondaymorning #workout #home pic.twitter.com/PUKsYHaTWS

— Workout Magazine (@WorkOutUK) May 25, 2020

It’s a bit like not wanting to get your teeth whitened for fear of what the dentist may make of your gnashers, or deciding to clean the inside of your car a bit before you send it for a car wash out of embarrassment of what they will find whilst vacuuming it.

Whilst it’s perfectly natural to feel self-conscious, it does have a habit of restricting what we really want in life. Ultimately, exercise is something that you can’t go without though and one should really explore all avenues when trying to find a way of accommodating it in your lifestyle. If it’s not to be in the gym, then fair enough. Many have decided that atmosphere is not for them and have rather taken up a sport that they enjoy instead. In many ways, this is the silver bullet to the frustrations of the gym as you get all the benefits of regular exercise whilst enjoying the stimulation that sport provides.

Individual sports for maximum performance

Swimming is undoubtedly the sport where you get the most bang for your buck, in fact, not only do you lose weight but you can build muscle as well. Take breaststroke, for example, you are working your entire body and can burn up to 500 calories in half an hour. Pools in spas or gyms are often heated the entire year-round as well so there is always the opportunity to enjoy a session.

Carrying on with individual sports which can help one lose weight, boxing is another fantastic option. A solid session on the bag can help burn off 450 calories in half an hour. You will have to stay committed, though, and put everything into those thirty minutes. If you do, the results will speak for themselves. Just look at heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury, boxing – along with the keto diet, boxing helped him lose an incredible 142lbs over six months. 

Thanks to that transformation, Fury is now tipped to become heavyweight champion of the world given that he is at odds of 1/2 in boxing betting to beat Anthony Joshua and unify the division. This is without a doubt the greatest advert for the power of boxing as a way of turning your life around and getting in shape. 

. @Tyson_Fury lost 142lbs on the ‘dirty keto’ diet. Even he couldn’t believe he lost that much weight eating these kinds of foods https://t.co/fVoMsvnHig pic.twitter.com/wPmo0MenMY

— Men’s Health UK (@MensHealthUK) January 12, 2019

Camaraderie can help confidence

But it doesn’t just have to be individual sports where you get the most benefits from. Far from it, joining in a team sport like action football or meeting up with a few friends for a parkrun on a Saturday morning will do just as much good for your overall health. That sense of camaraderie often helps when you feel a bit wary of committing, if you know others will be there as well then you’re far more inclined to dive in headfirst.  

If you’re feeling anxious about the prospect of signing up for a lengthy gym membership then don’t let it worry you for a second longer than it should. Rather, find a way of enjoying your favourite sport and you’ll get all the same benefits.