Exercise to Lose Weight
With a typical exercise program, it is
usual to maintain weight yet lose fat and gain muscle. This gain in lean
muscle tissue results in a lower body fat percentage and a higher metabolic
rate, which is good for weight control. Lean muscle tissue is much more
metabolically active than fat tissue. One pound of muscle can burn 30 to 50
calories a day, while one pound of fat burns only 3 calories a day.
That said, in order to achieve
significant reduction in body fat, regular moderately intensive exercise
needs to be combined with a healthy balanced diet. In addition, fat loss is
most efficient when aerobic exercise is combined with anaerobic exercise,
like weight/strength training.
Exercise to Lose Weight -
Calories Burned
Although exercise may burn relatively few
calories, a negative energy balance of as little as 200 calories a day can
result in weight loss over time.
For example: by brisk walking for one
hour (300 calories burned), instead of watching TV (80 calories burned) you
burn an extra 220 calories. Over the course of a year, this is the
equivalent of 23 pounds of body weight. What's more, in clinical tests, when
moderate exercise is performed food intake either remains the same or
decreases. At the same time, weight will gradually decrease.
Exercise to Lose Weight - No
Spot Reduction of Fat
Contrary to what some weight loss and
exercise products state, there is no such thing as spot reduction. Fat is
lost throughout the body in a pattern dependent upon genetics, gender,
hormones and age. In other words, although a negative calorie deficit (more
calories burned than consumed) will always cause fat loss, the precise
location of such fat loss is decided by the body and no exercise or diet
routines can influence this process.
Although fat may be lost throughout the
body, the midsection (in men and some women) and hips and thighs (in women
and few men) is typically the final body area to become lean.
Spot exercises, like sit-ups, crunches,
hip raises, leg raises, hip adduction, hip abduction, etc. can only develop
the muscles adjacent to the fat. They cannot burn fat from the area
exercised.
Sources include: American College of Sports
Medicine, (1995) Principles of Exercise Prescription, William & Wilkins, 5.
Back to top
