Cool Workouts to Do Without Equipment to Lose Weight Fast

If you're in a hurry to lose weight, you may not want to mess with equipment or gym space. Learning how to work with your body -- along with readily-available materials, such as a pair of running shoes -- can help free up valuable time you need to lose weight fast. You can choose from a variety of training styles to help you lose weight quickly, without using expensive and complicated gym equipment.

  1. Running

    • To help shed pounds fast, running beats walking. Running prevents weight gain and burns calories efficiently. You can run anytime, almost anywhere with the proper motivation. A 6-year study of thousands of walkers and runners performed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California showed that runners lost 90 percent more weight than walkers. The study evaluated the body mass index of more than 32,000 runners and found that runners had a lower BMI than walkers. While walking is helpful, running produces more metabolic increases and greater weight loss.

    Dancing

    • Dancing is a simple and effective tool for weight loss that you can perform from the comfort of your home. Dancing uses most of the body’s major muscles. You can use a dance video to burn calories, tone your muscles and lose weight while enjoying the music at the same time. Alternatively, just turn on the radio to your favorite station and get moving. You don’t have to be an expert in dance to benefit from dance exercise. Dancing can burn as many calories as swimming or bike riding if you sustain your dancing for 30 minutes or more.

    Walking Lunge

    • If you plan to walk, give your walk a little more power by performing walking lunges. This exercise will help you build muscle and burn more calories than regular walking. The walking lunge helps tone the glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps and calf muscles. To perform this exercise, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, placing your arms at your sides. Step forward with your right foot, lowering your left knee almost to the floor. Bend your knees at 90-degree angles, but don't let your front knee pass your toes. Rise back up and switch feet. Continue lunging as you walk across your home, on a track or anywhere you wish.

    Swimming

    • Swimming helps burn calories without placing too much stress on your joints. Swimming uses a variety of muscles and makes your heart and lungs work hard, providing an excellent overall cardiovascular workout. Regular swimming can help you lose weight and decrease your risk of chronic illnesses, including type 2 diabetes, stroke and heart disease. You can swim in a lake, a pond or a pool. Swimming styles that can help you lose weight include freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly and treading water. Swimming is a resistance exercise in which you push against the water to propel your body and improve your strength. As you swim you build muscle, which helps your body burn fat faster.