Over two-thirds of American adults are classified as overweight or obese. When you have excess body weight, your risk of cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol, and some types of cancer increases. Exercise does help you create the caloric deficit needed to lose weight and get healthier, but you need to be performing enough in order to see results.
Features
People who are successful at losing and maintaining weight loss are more physically active. Of individuals listed on the National Weight Control Registry, 94 percent increased their physical activity to lose the excess weight. Of that number, 90 percent report that they exercise an average of one hour every day, not just four days per week. This amount of exercise is also recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine for the promotion and maintenance of weight-loss.
Cardiovascular Exercise
Cardiovascular exercise is key to your health and losing weight. Exercise done three to five days per week is advised, as is varying your intensity from moderate to high. The duration will depend on how hard you are exercising, as well as your fitness level and goals. An exercise regime lasting 20 minutes is adequate for health benefit, but 300 minutes of accumulated cardiovascular exercise each week is recommended for weight-loss. One of the most popular methods is walking because it takes no new skill and can be performed anywhere.
Resistance Training
While cardiovascular exercise is the focus for many weight-loss programs, resistance training should not be left out. Increasing the amount of lean muscle mass on your body will help you reduce body fat, increase your metabolism and make activities of daily living easier to perform. Resistance exercises for each major muscle group should be done two to three days per week. One set of eight to 12 repetitions is enough for most people to see improvement. If you perform the recommendations for resistance and cardiovascular exercise, you may be exercising every day.
Diet
Even exercising one hour per day won't matter if you are not monitoring your diet. 98 percent of Registry members report modifying their food intake. Most aim for a low calorie, low fat diet and eat breakfast every day. Low calorie means different things for different people. A 150-pound person and 200-pound person have different caloric needs. They should not be eating the same amount of calories to lose weight. If an individual cuts their calorie intake too much, they can slow down their metabolism and not receive adequate nutrition.
Considerations
If you have only been exercising four days per week and want to increase that amount, do it gradually. Adding too much too soon can make you sore and increase your risk of injury. Gradually increase intensity, duration and frequency until you are exercising the recommended amount of time. Add variety to your workouts to prevent boredom and keep your body changing. Consider joining a gym, hiring a personal trainer or trying new exercise videos.
References
- "Essentials of Strength and Conditioning;" National Strength and Conditioning Association; 2008
- "ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription;" American College of Sports Medicine; 2010
- National Weight Control Registry: NWCR Facts
- Mayo Clinic: Exercise for Weight Loss: Calories Burned in 1 Hour
- "Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook;" Nancy Clark, MS, RD; 2008
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