Getting regular exercise can help you meet your goals in a healthy, sustainable way—but sometimes, just knowing where to start can be a high hurdle to clear. Exercise is an important adjunct to calorie restriction for people who are obese or overweight and want to lose weight, but exercise won’t alone have a very pronounced effect on weight loss. But doing both — cutting calories through diet and burning calories through exercise — can help give you the weight-loss edge.
You may have heard the saying that abs are made in the kitchen, which is true – you can lose fat and not even pick up a single weight or run a single step through caloric deficit. But in order to lose weight, build muscle, increase muscular strength, and improve your cardio fitness you’re going to have to start putting some effort into your weight loss goals. Cardio is important to lose weight, but to really take your results up a notch you need to add in some exercises that build your muscles too. The effect isn't enormous, but building muscle means more muscle mass to churn through calories as you go about your day. Weightlifting continues to burn calories even after the workout because the muscles are repairing, recovering and building, which could also leave you a little sore. Developing muscles also increases your body’s ability to absorb shock to your joints, something that can benefit an arthritic knee.
If you’re overweight, focus on activities that put minimal stress on your joints, like walking, swimming, or water exercises. If you're a beginner, start by walking 3 days per week for at least 20 minutes and then gradually increase the frequency and duration of your walks until you are walking minutes per day and six times a week. Basically, you're training your body to exercise and benefit from it.
hile, generally, most people should not aim to lose more than 2 pounds per week in order to maintain lean muscle, people do vary in how fast they can safely lose weight. Working at 85% of your max heart rate for a longer period of time can help you to burn loads of calories. Start with moderate-intensity workouts like brisk walking, running or biking for at least 30 minutes, five days a week, working your way up to 60 minutes if possible. As you become more fit you should be able to accomplish a greater calorie burn in less time. The reality is losing weight—the healthy way—takes time and dedication.
Before you start any weekly exercise program you should check with your doctor and follow his/her other guidelines or restrictions to stay healthy.
For individuals looking to lose weight or improve their fitness, there are intense cardio workouts that may also boost endorphins, the positivity hormones in the brain.