The role of exercise in weight loss: how to lose weight more effectively

Weight loss is a common concern because so many people are overweight and obese now – as many as 2/3 in some countries. Fat loss is clearly not something that people are very good at, so what can we do to improve this? We recently came across the following video, which has become popular online and we wanted to clear up some misconceptions.

The problem with this video is that it suggests that exercise is only a benefit to weight loss in the short term by using calories (the physical activity portion of calorie use). However, in this article we will cover how exercise can improve resting metabolism, burn calories and improve the efficiency of the body in using food. This article will give you a short, effective guide to losing weight in a sustainable and effective way.

How does weight loss work?

Weight loss is the result of our body using fat stores for energy, due to not having enough energy from the food that we consume. This means that the way that we lose weight is through using more calories than we consume – this means that we need to worry about both the number of calories that we consume and the physical activity we perform.

The key to weight loss: metabolism and diet

Diet is the first place to start with the weight loss journey, as this determines how many calories we need to burn in order to lose weight. The less we eat – within health ranges – the more fat we will metabolise to cover the difference. Dieting for weight loss should focus on reducing calorie intake, increasing the intake of nutrients and consuming high-quality protein sources like salmon.

Exercise and metabolism

Exercise is an important way of improving calorie expenditure – with both metabolism and physical activity contributing to our overall weight loss. Calorie usage in a day is improved by increasing muscle mass and cardiorespiratory function. A combination of endurance and strength training will improve both of these and add significant muscle mass to the body!

Beyond this, exercise will improve the hormonal balance of the body, reducing the body’s tendency to store fat, improving sleep and general wellness. Increasing physical activity is a good way to improve health in general, as well as reducing weight loss.