Exercise & activity in maintenance

Once you’ve achieved your target weight loss goal, exercise takes on a different role in your routine.

In maintenance, movement helps protect health, strength, and confidence rather than driving down numbers on the scale. The focus shifts from burning calories to building routines that support long-term wellbeing.

In this guide, we explain how to adjust your mindset around exercise for maintenance, what types of movement work best, how much to aim for, and how to handle scale changes.

Key points

• Exercise in maintenance supports confidence, energy, and muscle health rather than weight loss
• Consistent, enjoyable movement is more effective long-term than intense routines
• Building muscle can affect the scale slightly, but it supports better body composition and long-term results

Shifting into a maintenance mindset

During active weight loss, exercise is often tied to outcomes like calorie burn or weekly changes on the scale.

In maintenance, the goal shifts to protecting the progress you have already made by supporting strength, mobility, and overall well-being.

Reframing exercise as self-care helps break the idea that movement is used as punishment or as a way to ‘earn’ food. Instead, activity becomes something that supports how you feel physically and mentally, making it easier to maintain without guilt or strict rules.

Maintenance also lets you choose movements that you enjoy. Walking, dancing, swimming, yoga, or gentle cycling can all support health without feeling intense or structured.

Exercise does not have to mean doing as much as possible or pushing your body to its limit. What matters most is consistency. Regular movement adds up over time and is far more effective than short bursts of intense effort followed by long breaks.

Maintenance is about the long term and keeping weight off for good, so the way you move should support that. The progress you have made stays in place by continuing the habits that got you there. That means choosing activity you can stick with, rather than pushing too hard or too fast.

Focus on what you can do regularly and build from there. Sustainable movement is what helps maintain results.

Ayesha Bashir, myBMI weight loss expert

Finding confidence with movement after weight loss

Many people expect confidence to feel automatic after weight loss, but the reality is often more complex. You can feel proud and relieved while also feeling tired, uncertain, or worried about slipping into old habits. These reactions are normal and they do not mean your progress is at risk.

At this stage, exercise works best when it supports how you feel, not just what the scale says. Move for better mood, steadier energy, improved digestion, and greater strength. Letting go of strict calorie targets can take the pressure off and help movement feel more natural and sustainable.

Confidence also grows when you notice wins beyond weight. Feeling stronger, walking further, recovering more quickly, or having more energy during the day are all signs that maintenance is working. These markers of health often matter far more than small changes on the scale.

What types of movement support maintenance

Maintenance is best supported by a mix of strength work, gentle cardio, and everyday movement. Together, these help maintain muscle, support energy and routine, and keep activity sustainable. No single type of exercise is required: consistency across different forms of movement matters most.

1. Strength work supports your body

After weight loss, maintaining muscle becomes more important than trying to burn calories. Strength-based movement helps support the development of muscle tissue that may have reduced during weight loss and contributes to improving physical function, stability, and body shape.

Strength training does not need to be intense or time-consuming to be effective. For many people, two sessions per week using their bodyweight, resistance bands, or weights is enough to support muscle and long-term maintenance. The aim is to feel stronger and more capable, not to chase rapid changes.

2. Gentle cardio and everyday activity

Gentle cardio like walking, cycling, or swimming supports heart health, increases energy levels, and promotes a healthy routine without placing excessive strain on the body. These activities are often easier to repeat regularly, which is especially important in maintenance.

Many people also find that steady, rhythmic movement improves mental clarity and helps structure the day. When exercise feels manageable, it is more likely to fit around work, family, and recovery.

3. Everyday movement still counts

Not all movement needs to look like exercise. Daily steps, household tasks, stretching, and light activity throughout the day all contribute to overall movement levels. These lower-pressure forms of activity help support consistency and energy balance without the need for formal workouts.

Everyday movement can be especially helpful on days when motivation or time is limited: remember, something is always better than nothing.

Understanding scale changes when you build muscle

During maintenance, Strength work can change your body composition, which can influence your weight. Muscle tissue is denser than fat. For the same weight, muscle takes up less space. As a result, your weight can stay the same or increase slightly, even as your body becomes firmer or more defined.

This process is called body recomposition. It explains why the scale alone is not always a reliable indicator of what is happening during maintenance. Small fluctuations can reflect normal changes in muscle, hydration, or recovery rather than a return to fat gain.

Reassurance is important if this happens. A small increase on the scale does not undo any of your weight loss progress. Looking at how clothes fit, how strong you feel, and how your body functions day-to-day can give you a clearer picture of whether maintenance is working.

When weight gain is part of positive progress

During maintenance, the scale might no longer be a reliable measure of success. Strength training and improved physical function can lead to small increases in body weight that reflect muscle gain rather than fat. This is common and expected as your body adapts to regular movement.

A slight fluctuation of a kilo or a few pounds is completely normal and doesn’t undermine your progress. In many cases, these changes come alongside improvements in strength, posture, and how clothes fit. This is why relying only on weight can feel misleading once weight loss has stabilised.

Using additional tools can give you a clearer picture of progress. Photos, body measurements, strength gains, and everyday comfort often show positive changes before the scale does. Building and maintaining muscle is also linked with better long-term weight management, helping protect results beyond the initial weight-loss phase.

How much movement is enough in maintenance

The NHS recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week, alongside muscle-strengthening activity twice a week. Moderate activity includes anything that raises your heart rate slightly while still allowing conversation, such as brisk walking, cycling, or swimming.

Importantly, this movement does not need to happen all at once. Breaking activity into 10- to 20-minute sessions across the week still delivers benefits. For many people, this makes exercise feel more achievable and easier to sustain around work, family, and energy levels.

In maintenance, consistency matters more than doing everything perfectly. Missing a session or having quieter weeks does not undo progress. Returning to regular movement gently and without guilt helps protect long-term results.

Making movement work around real life

Maintenance does not require long or perfectly planned workouts. When life feels busy or unpredictable, shorter sessions can be easier to repeat and less mentally demanding. A 10-minute walk, light stretching, or a short strength session still contributes to overall activity levels.

Many people find ‘movement snacks’, or short, manageable bursts of movement, helpful. This might include walking during phone calls, stretching while watching TV, taking the stairs, or adding gentle movement between tasks. These small actions reduce the pressure to set aside large blocks of time and make activity feel more accessible.

Importantly, doing something is always more beneficial than doing nothing. Maintenance is supported by consistency over weeks and months, not by occasional intense efforts. Allowing flexibility helps prevent all-or-nothing thinking and makes it easier to return to movement after quieter periods.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need intense exercise to maintain my weight?

No, maintenance does not require intense exercise. Regular, moderate activity and some strength work are enough to support health and weight stability. Consistency matters more than intensity, and pushing too hard can make routines harder to sustain long term.

Can walking alone be enough?

Walking can play a major role in maintenance, especially when done regularly. It supports cardiovascular health and energy levels. Adding some strength work into your routine is recommended, but walking alone is still beneficial and counts toward overall activity targets.

Is it normal to gain a little weight when building strength?

Yes. Small weight increases can happen when strength improves due to muscle gain. This does not automatically mean you have gained fat. Changes in body composition can affect the scale even when maintenance is working as intended.

What if I am worried about losing control after stopping intense workouts?

This worry is common during maintenance. Stopping intense workouts does not mean progress will reverse. Regular, moderate movement and routine are enough to protect results, and easing pressure can make activity more sustainable over time.

Summary of movement in maintenance

Movement in maintenance is about protecting progress, not chasing weight loss. A mix of strength work, gentle cardio, and everyday activity supports health, confidence, and routine. Small scale changes can be normal, and consistency and sustainability matter more than intensity.

Sources

• 3 exercises that are best for heart health. (2022) British Heart Foundation [accessed 09 February 2026]
• Benefits of exercise. (2024) NHS [accessed 09 February 2026]
• Physical activity guidelines for adults aged 19 to 64. (2024) NHS [accessed 09 February 2026]
• Strength exercises. (2024) NHS [accessed 09 February 2026]
• Overweight and obesity management. (2025) NICE [accessed 09 February 2026]