In this world of the Internet, many people usually have many misconceptions about weight loss, exercise, cardio and whatnot !!! And one of the biggest ones of them is whether exercise is nescessary for weight loss or not.
And the topic which I am discussing here is a topic which is I think by far the most confusing aspect for people doing weight loss. But hey, that’s why I have made this blog- To clear all these foolish misconceptions and stereotypes about general health maintenance.
I think, before jumping into the debate whether we must do exercise or not, first let’s understand the whole science behind weight loss.
How is weight loss done?
See, the science behind weight loss is very simple.
You just have to be under a calorie deficit ( Consuming net total calories less than your maintenance calories ) for a persistent period or until the time you achieve your dream physique. But mind you, during this journey your body metabolism will change continuously because of which you will hit a weight-loss plateau. And along with this, you will have several other requirements to fulfil in order to have weight loss. Like having proper sleep, not drinking your calories, not eating junk food even if you remain in calorie-deficit etc,
I have discussed in detail all the aspects of WEIGHT-LOSS in this study. Please do check it out to know the full details, so that you can have proper knowledge about the topic before starting your journey!
So, now that you have got at least an idea about weight loss, let’s discuss whether or not exercise is necessary for weight-loss or not!
So is exercise really necessary or not?
See, the answer isn’t going to be objective. It will be a subjective one, so please hold for a minute or two and read the full content to understand.
See, the involvement of exercise in your weight loss will vary based upon the type of exercise you do, the intensity at which you do it and how often you do it. So there are mainly two types of exercise and those are, cardio and weight training or strength training.
If you don’t know what cardio is, let me explain it to you in simple language. Cardio is any form of exercise in which you respirate more and burn more calories. Examples of cardio – Running, playing sports, swimming etc.
On the contrary, weight training or strength training is a form of exercise in which your main focus is to train your muscles rather than burning calories. Most of the things which come under this category of exercise are done in gyms. Examples of strength training – Planks, lifting dumbells, weight lifting etc.
And to continue the calorie deficit, cardio is advised over strength training because we tend to burn more calories in cardio than in strength training and thus we can eat some more food and still be in a deficit at the same time. Also, increasing your cardio is advised when people hit a weight loss plateau. Although note that this doesn’t mean that strength training is bad. It is very essential if you want to be muscular and lean side by side. To know more benefits of strength training check out this post
So if you are doing cardio on a frequency which I will mention below or at a frequency suitable to your daily calorie goals, and you are ensuring that you are eating healthy food while being in a calories deficit, then CONGRATULATIONS!
You are going in the right direction!!!
Frequency of cardio
The frequency of cardio varies according to your day-to-day life schedule and your level of fitness. Although there are some starting numbers of minutes of cardio one should have according to verywellfit.com are –
- For general health– Moderately-intense cardio 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, or vigorously intense cardio for 20 minutes a day, 3 days a week. You can also do a mixture.
- For weight loss or To avoid weight gain – More than 300 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week to meet your goals.
- To maintain body weight – About 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week.
However, the minutes of cardio may vary a lot depending on a lot a factors like your metablism, age etc. Just ensure that your cardio routine is able to fulfil your calorie burning goals and that you remain in a calorie deficit everyday.
Note : Don’t overdo cardio as it will then start to harm you rather than benefit you.
Conclusion
I think you have guessed the conclusion by now. If you haven’t guessed, it is ‘Exercise does help in weight loss !!!’ But don’t misinterpret this. Don’t thaink that exercise is the only way. I am repeating this again, “….. helps“. Weight loss can be done without cardio also but it is not advisable as we need to consume less and less calories to lose weight which can become harmful for us after some point.
Although I don’t think exercise should be done only to fulfill our purpose of weight loss. It has many other major benefits too like –
- Reduce your risk of heart diseases
- Help your body manage blood sugar and insulin levels
- Improve your mental health and mood
- Help you quit smoking
- Reduce your risk of some cancers
- Increase your chances of living longer
- Improve your sleep
For acknowledging yourself with more benefits and the science behind those, you can check out this post !!
Hope you like this post !!!!!! Comment below to share your thoughts after reading this post.
