Exericse and Weight Loss

Exercise increases the number of calories expended. Exercising and burning calories can have tremendous benefits in regard to weight loss but, fitness has benefits outside of weight loss. Fit individuals who are overweight live longer than leaner people in poor shape.

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Exercise should involve a minimum of 150 minutes a week or 30 minutes of activity five days a week of moderately intense aerobic exercise.  Eventually one should increase to 200-300 minutes a week of leisure-time physical activity for long-term weight loss. This would translate into approximately 2000 calories per week.  

Using a pedometer can help in weight loss.  Pedometers get people to walk more, serve as a motivating factor and are an effective strategy for weight loss.

Weight training shis also important. Weight training improves muscular strength and endurance, but also helps preserve lean muscle mass. Dieting is associated with a loss of muscle mass. Resistance training can reduce the loss of lean tissue. In addition, weight-training increases muscle mass.

Muscle mass burns more calories than fat tissue. For example, Steve weighs 200 pounds (140 pounds is lean muscle). On an average day he burns 2800 calories a day. After two months of strength training his weight is now 195 pounds, but his lean weight is 145 pounds. He actually lost 10 pounds of fat, but also his energy expenditure is now 2850 calories a day. This may not seem like a lot, but over the course of one year that results in 18,250 extra calories.  If his diet stays the same he will shed an extra 5 pounds without having to do anything but maintain that muscle mass. Individuals with more muscle, burn more energy through out the day, including while watching TV and sleeping.

American culture wants things now but poor health and obesity is something that happens over the years and reversing this process will not occur overnight. It takes a lifetime commitment. While the reversal of disease and obesity is a slow process, weight loss will improve health.