Exercise can support a variety of fitness goals, from training to build muscle to working out to lose fat. Weight loss exercise training varies from other types of training in terms of the types of exercises you choose as well as the nutritional plan you should pair with the program. Before beginning any weight loss program, you should consult a medical professional.
Calorie Expenditure
To lose weight, you need to expend more calories than you consume on a consistent basis. Although your body requires calories to perform basic metabolic activities, you can increase your caloric expenditure by performing exercise. According to MayoClinic.com, activities such as running, rollerblading, jumping rope and using a stair treadmill are among the most effective calorie-burning exercises.
Appetite Suppression
One major obstacle to weight loss program adherence is hunger. Because you need to reduce your calorie intake to lose weight, you may find that you are hungry throughout the day. However, research indicates that the mode of exercise you choose can have an effect on your appetite. According to a study from the January 2009 issue of the "American Journal of Physiology - Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology," aerobic exercise can suppress the release of a hunger-inducing hormone and increase the release of a hunger-suppressing hormone. Meanwhile, resistance exercise only suppressed the hunger hormone and did not affect the satiety hormone.
Fat-Burning Hormones
In addition to controlling your hunger through exercise choices, you can also encourage the release of fat-burning hormones, which can help control your weight. As the fitness website ExRx.net explains, performing weight training sessions with brief rest periods of around one minute between sets can stimulate the release of growth hormone. The website explains that this hormone is lipolytic, which means it breaks down fat.
Session Scheduling
The way in which you set up your weight loss exercise sessions may also influence your results. Although some fitness enthusiasts suggest that you need to exercise for a long duration to reach a "fat-burning zone," research indicates this is not true. A study published in the June 1990 issue of the "British Journal of Sports Medicine" found that performing the same amount of exercise in two distinct sections rather than one long session resulted in an increased amount of burned calories.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Exercise for Weight Loss: Calories Burned in 1 Hour
- "American Journal of Physiology - Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology"; Influence of Resistance and Aerobic Exercise on Hunger, Circulating Levels of Acylated Ghrelin and Peptide YY in Healthy Males; D.R. Broom et al.; January 2009
- ExRx.net: Fat Loss & Weight Training Myths
- "British Journal of Sports Medicine"; Effect of Split Exercise Sessions on Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption; L.A. Kaminsky, S. Padjen, J. LaHam-Saeger; June 1990
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