Sweating in the gym and eating meals with fewer calories are said to be a universal methods for losing weight. But sometimes hard workouts don’t seem to be effective, because there are some other factors that affect weight loss and gain.
Strict diet paired with regular exercise may be a simple and traditional way to get fit, but it doesn’t mean it always works. How much exercise can really help? And what diet plan should you choose? First, you need to know exactly what you can expect from daily workouts. Exercise is only one part of the successful weight loss. Many people believe that exercising three times a week for half an hour is enough, and when they don’t see any results they conclude their metabolism isn’t good. Actually, in order to drop pounds, we need to start with cutting down on calories. Some experts say that the amount of exercise is the key, or to work out so many hours that we can burn all the calories we eat. But this is nearly impossible – all scientists agree that it’s easier to cut 1,000 calories from the diet, than to burn off 1,000 calories through exercise.
Another misconception about exercise is that if you work really hard, you may indulge in all the food you want. In slightly overweight people this can happen, but obese people won’t achieve anything without entering healthy diet. According to dietitian and personal trainer Kathianne Williams, most people overestimate the amount of activity they are having and underestimate their usual food intake. The truth is we need to spend around 3 and 4 hours in the gym every day, depending on the specific exercise, to burn only our lunch. And most people exercise half to one hour three or four times a week, while at the same time eat huge portions.
Treadmills and other fitness machines are showing how much calories you are burning, but their monitors can’t estimate your individual calorie burn. They are designed to measure averagely and for each person they vary a lot. Use this equipment for motivation and not for exact calculation of calories eaten and burned. Besides you always burn calories – even while you are sitting at work, preparing the dinner at home, or while shopping.
Of course, one of the most important things about exercise is that it’s not about 30 minutes of hard workouts, it’s about active lifestyle. Subscription for the fitness studio won’t drop the extra pounds, especially if you drive to your workplace, take the bus, or have the children walk the dog. Everyday habits these days, sedentary life, as well as other factors such as stress and sleep, can affect your weight loss much more than you can expect.
