The Best Workouts to Lose Weight (and Keep It Off) When You're Busy

Most people who want to lose weight start the same way: more cardio, less food, and a lot of willpower. It works for a few weeks. Then work gets busy, you're tired and hungry, and it all falls apart.

I see it all the time, especially in women who look after everyone else first. If you've ever said "I never put myself first," this is for you. You don't need to do more. You need to train smarter.

Why more cardio isn't the answer

Cardio burns calories while you're doing it, and it's good for your heart. But on its own it's a slow, tiring way to lose weight, and it does little to protect your muscle.

That matters. When you eat less, your body loses fat and muscle. Lose too much muscle and you feel weaker, your shape changes in ways you don't want, and it gets easier to regain the weight.

The best workouts to lose weight

1. Strength training: the foundation

Two or three strength sessions a week is the best investment you can make. It protects and builds muscle while you lose fat, improves your shape, strengthens your bones and makes everyday life easier. Focus on big movements: squats, hinges (like deadlifts), pushes, pulls and carries.

2. Walking: the secret weapon

Daily steps burn more calories over a week than most people's gym sessions, and they don't leave you starving or wiped out. Aim for 7,000 to 10,000 steps. Walk your calls, get off a stop early, take the stairs.

3. Short, hard intervals: the extra

One or two short interval sessions a week, 10 to 20 minutes, boost your fitness without eating your whole evening. Think bike sprints, rower intervals or kettlebell circuits. They're the extra, not the main event.

A simple week that fits a busy life

Can only manage two strength sessions? Do two. Consistency beats the perfect plan every time. For a full routine you can follow, see my simple 3-day workout plan.

You can't out-train your diet, but you don't need to diet hard either

Training helps, but what you eat drives most weight loss. You don't need extremes. Start here:

• Protein at every meal. It keeps you full and protects muscle.
• Fruit and veg at most meals.
• Drink more water and keep an eye on alcohol.
• A small, steady calorie deficit you can stick to beats a crash diet you quit by Friday.

Training on weight-loss jabs

Weight-loss jabs like Mounjaro and Wegovy are everywhere. UCL estimated that around 1.6 million adults in Britain used them in a single year. If you're one of them, training matters even more.

When you eat a lot less, you can lose a lot of muscle along with the fat. Strength training and enough protein are your best protection. They help you keep your strength and your shape, and they give you habits that last if you ever come off the medication. Speak to your prescriber about your plan, and build the training alongside it.

Measure more than the scale

The scale moves up and down for reasons that have nothing to do with fat. Track:

• how your clothes fit
• your waist measurement
• your strength in the gym
• your energy, sleep and mood

When clients start to feel like themselves again, the number on the scale usually follows.

When to get help

If you've tried on your own and it keeps falling apart, the problem usually isn't your willpower. It's the plan. I build training and nutrition around your life, your body and your history, in person in central London or through online coaching.