Posts in category: Workouts

Exercise and weight loss go hand in hand. Workouts are helpful for losing weight and maintaining weight loss. In this short article, we explain why you should consider incorporating workouts into your weight-loss journey and what types of workouts you should be doing.

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What is exercise?

Any physical activity that gets your body moving, increases your heart rate, and works out your muscle at a greater intensity than your usual daily activity, is considered exercise.

Easy weight loss exercises are crucial for beginners as they help build confidence and create life-long habits for well-being.

Physical activities can be categorized into;

High intensity (vigorous activities performed in short bursts of maximum effort, broken up with rest e.g., uphill sprinting, weight lifting, etc.)

Moderate intensity (those that get you moving fast enough or strenuously enough to burn off three to six times as much energy per minute as you do when you are sitting quietly eg., walking very briskly, cleaning heavy, bicycling, etc.), and,

Low intensity (physical activity done at a comfortable pace e.g., walking slowly, yoga, gentle swimming, etc.) 

Did You Know?

44% of Americans intended to increase their physical exercise in 2021 [1]

Exercise and weight loss

Merging exercise and a healthy diet may help you lose weight more effectively than exercising alone.

To lose weight efficiently, the basis of weight loss must be respected. That is, the number of calories burnt daily should be greater than the number of calories eaten daily.

This calorie deficit is the key to weight loss [2].

According to Harvard Health, to lose at least a healthy pound a week entails you doing at least 30 minutes of physical activity on most days, and reducing your daily calorie intake by at least 500 calories.

But your calorie intake should not fall below 1,200 a day in women or 1,500 a day in men, except under medical supervision by a health professional.

Though cutting calories is key to weight loss, eating too few calories can be detrimental to your health because you increase the risk of nutritional deficiencies and several serious side effects [3].

Dieting is thus inevitable in a weight loss journey, as it helps minimize the number of calories eaten daily.

On the other hand, a number of factors affect how many calories we can burn daily including; age, sex, body composition, and amount of physical activity.

You can’t control your age or sex, but you can control your level of physical activity which in turn can help improve your body composition.

Body composition has to do with how much lean muscle you have.

Since muscle tissues burn more calories than fat tissues because of their higher metabolic rate, the greater the lean muscle mass, the more calories will be burnt even at rest.

That means exercise will not only help burn calories daily but will build a body composition that will consistently use up calories in the long term.

Thus, exercise is vital for achieving weight loss and maintaining it.

Did You Know?

31.43% of New Yorkers gained more than 5 pounds during the lockdown [4]

What are calories?

For simplicity, calories are the units used to measure energy. The energy content of foods and beverages is commonly measured in calories.

Though calorie deficit is key to weight loss, many other factors contribute to weight loss or the inability to lose weight, including medical diagnoses, hormonal changes, genetics, and age [5].

Losing weight and keeping it off for life will require permanent lifestyle changes including healthy eating and frequent physical activity.

Fad diets and quick fixes will only lead to long-term weight regain. A condition is known as weight cycling or commonly as yo-yo dieting.

Weight loss exercises

You must not always hit the gym to exercise for weight loss.

In fact, most weight loss workouts can be performed from the comfort of your home, some of which are easy weight loss exercises.

When it comes to weight loss, anything that gets your body moving; from brisk walking to cooking to raking to dusting, etc. is considered physical activity and will definitely help burn calories.

However, if you do need extra support, motivation, and follow-up, especially as a beginner, we recommend you sign up for a fitness coach.

That said, here are some excellent workouts to incorporate into your weight loss journey;

• Walking
• Jogging or running
• Cycling (indoor or outdoor)
• Weight training
• Yoga
• Swimming
• Pilates
• House cleaning, grocery shopping, cooking
• Gardening, raking, digging, mowing the lawn
• Laundry, shoveling, playing with kids

Did You Know?

The most common weight-loss method is exercising (62.9%), eating less food (62.9%), and followed by consuming more fruits, vegetables, and salads (50.4%) [6].

How many calories can you burn on workouts?

 In a certain study by the Calorie Control Council, a 155-pound person doing the following activities for 30 minutes, had the following calorie counts; 

How much exercise to lose weight?

The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity or a combination of moderate and vigorous activity per week and 2 days of muscle-strengthening activity. 

This might be challenging especially for beginners. So, we recommend you start slow and not set your expectations too high.

Some physical activity is better than none.

The bottom line

Aside from dieting, exercise plays an important role in losing weight and keeping it off.

However, to prevent injury and maximize the rewards, we recommend you start with lighter workouts for a couple of minutes a day.

With time, your body will adapt, allowing you to exercise more and for longer periods.

These lifestyle changes are meant for life. Quick fixes and fad diets won’t help.