Weight Control  Infocenter

Exercise for Obesity and Weight Control

Exercise is a key part of any effective weight control plan. If you compare diet with exercise, you will find that exercise wins all the time.

University of Chicago researchers studied 23 obese women who agreed to follow one of three programs: a low-fat diet, a low-carbohydrate diet, or daily aerobic exercise with no diet restrictions. After 12 weeks, the exercisers lost significantly more weight and more fat than those in the other groups.

Exercise also boosts your BMR. It helps you burn calories even when you're not exercising. Exercise elevates mood, reduces stress, and improves self-esteem, all of which also helps in weight loss.

Regular exercise also helps keep you adhere to a diet plan. For example, in another clinical trial conducted at University of Chicago, researchers studied 30 women enrolled in a 12-week weight-loss program. All were placed on a restricted-calorie diet. In addition, some took a 45-minute aerobics class three times a week. They found that those who exercise were significantly more likely to stay on the diet.

How much exercise do you need for an effective weight loss program?

How much exercise do you need to lose weight and keep it down? The experts generally recommend a total of 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity every day.

You can do some simple exercises. For example, go for a walk. Walking helps control weight. It is one of the best ways to start exercising. It is also lot of fun.

You can walk for as little as 1 mile a day (15 to 20 minutes of effort). This should translate to losing about 10 pounds of fat in a year. It is something all of us can do without any significant sacrifice.

We have given the effect of various everyday activities on their calorie expenditure.

See: Calories Burned By Exercise

Space your activities throughout the day

It is not necessary that you have to dedicate 30 minutes to 90 minutes for exercise at one time. It is perfectly Ok to break this into 10 or 15 minute increments. That way you can do some workout during lunch time and in the evening too.

Some people have a hard time sitting still. They have to be doing something. They're al ways shifting and squirming. This is also great for weight loss. Scientists at Mayo Clinic has found that actions like climbing stairs, carrying objects, even fidgeting seem to help control weight gain.

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