WEIGHT LOSS

Your guide to weight loss and exercise

Exercise is crucial for optimising your physical and mental health.

Understand the benefits of exercise for weight loss and overall health

Learn about different types of exercises and how to incorporate them into your routine

Explore effective exercises and the balance between cardio and resistance training

The link between weight loss and exercise

Exercise is without a doubt a vital component of healthy living. Along with a balanced diet, it forms a an effective combination for sustainable weight loss.

A systematic review¹ that looked at the weight loss benefits of aerobic exercise found that it led to reduced weight and body circumference.

Although the role it plays in weight management is key, there's an endless number of other ways that physical activity enhances good health.

The benefits of exercise

Strengthens bones

Regular weight-bearing exercise increases bone density, reducing the risk of osteoporosis and fractures by stimulating bone growth and maintaining bone strength.

Reduces risk of disease

Consistent physical activity lowers the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers by improving cardiovascular health, regulating blood sugar, and enhancing immune function.²

Boosts mood

Exercise releases endorphins, the body's natural mood elevators, leading to improved mental health by reducing symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress.³

Increases fitness

Engaging in regular exercise enhances overall physical fitness by improving cardiovascular endurance, muscle strength, flexibility, and balance, leading to better physical performance and reduced injury risk.

Delays onset of dementia

Physical activity promotes brain health by increasing blood flow to the brain, supporting the growth of new neural connections, and reducing inflammation, which may help delay the onset and progression of dementia and cognitive decline.⁴

Enhances sleep quality

Regular exercise helps regulate sleep patterns by promoting relaxation and reducing insomnia, leading to deeper, more restorative sleep and improved overall health and wellbeing.

Reduces stress

Physical activity lowers levels of stress hormones, such as cortisol, while simultaneously stimulating the production of endorphins, which act as natural painkillers and mood lifters, effectively reducing stress levels.

Helps weight loss and maintenance

Exercise helps manage body weight by burning calories, increasing metabolism, and promoting muscle growth, which aids in weight loss and helps maintain a healthy weight over time.

Improves sexual function

Regular physical activity enhances sexual function by improving cardiovascular health, increasing blood flow, boosting energy levels, and enhancing body image and confidence, leading to better sexual performance and satisfaction.

Moderate vs vigorous exercise

For optimal benefits, you should mix up your routine with a variety of exercises. Aim for around 150 minutes of moderate intensity per week or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity.

Combining a mixture of the two and spreading the exercises over several days will benefit you the most.

Moderate intensity exercise

During moderate intensity exercise, you’ll still be able to talk, but you won’t be able to sing. A brisk walk, gentle cycle, and hiking are all good examples of this.

Vigorous intensity exercise

During a vigorous activity you won’t be able to talk whilst exercising. Examples include running, swimming, and certain sports like football, rugby, or hockey.

Cardio vs resistance training

While the intensity of the exercise affects how much weight you can lose, the type of training you’re doing is also important. Exercise generally falls into two categories: cardio and resistance.

Although both forms of exercise can help you lose weight, studies show that cardio is the more effective weight loss technique. Best of all is a healthy mix of both.

Cardio training

Cardio training is associated with weight loss. As the name suggests, cardio increases your heart rate through activities like running, cycling, and swimming.

Resistance training

This form of training includes targeted exercises and can involve weights, resistance bands, or body weight. It strengthens bones and promotes muscle growth.

6 effective weight loss exercises

Simple and effective ways to start losing weight through exercise.

Desk exercises

You don’t even have to stand up to add extra movement to your day. Simple desk exercises such as mini squats, calf raises, and tricep dips can all get your heart rate up and set you on the path to weight loss.

Standing

If you lead a sedentary lifestyle then you’re likely to be sitting a lot. Simply standing up - and remaining stood up - is key to hitting your health goals.

Walking

A brisk walk is an easy way to increase your heart rate and get active. It can also help to reduce stress, fatigue, and even boost your self-esteem.

Running

Running is one of the simplest and most effective forms of exercise, with no pricey gym membership required.

Swimming

One of the best workouts for your body, swimming trains almost every muscle group and is also low impact, meaning your joints won’t be put under as much pressure as, say, football or tennis.

Cycling

Another low impact exercise which you can incorporate into your daily routine, cycling is an excellent form of both cardio and aerobic training.

KNOWLEDGE

More weight loss and exercise tips

References

^{¹ Thorogood, A., Mottillo, S., Shimony, A., Filion, K. B., Joseph, L., Genest, J., Pilote, L., Poirier, P., Schiffrin, E. L., & Eisenberg, M. J. (2011). Isolated aerobic exercise and weight loss: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. The American Journal of Medicine, 124(8), 747-755.}^{https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2011.02.037}

^{2 Ruegsegger, G. N., & Booth, F. W. (2018). Health Benefits of Exercise. Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in medicine, 8(7), a029694.}^{https://doi.org/10.1101/cshperspect.a029694}

^{3 Sharma, A., Madaan, V., & Petty, F. D. (2006). Exercise for mental health.}^{Primary care companion to the Journal of clinical psychiatry}^,⁸^{(2), 106.}^{https://doi.org/10.4088/pcc.v08n0208a}

^{4 Gholamnezhad Z, Boskabady MH, Jahangiri Z. Exercise and Dementia. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2020;1228:303-315. doi:10.1007/978-981-15-1792-1_20}