The first thing that people do when they want to lose weight is start exercising. Indeed, exercise has several health benefits, a primary one being weight loss. So is it possible for exercise to make you fat? It all depends on how you manage it.
Exercise and food
When you exercise more, your appetite increases because your body needs more nutrition. When your appetite increases, you naturally tend to eat more. The choices that you make at this stage determine whether you put on more fat or more muscle and less fat. A study has found that people do not fully understand the link between exercise and nutrition. People assume that once they have exercised, they can eat whatever they want, and so after exercising they treat themselves to sugary treats and junk food.
Calories consumed vs. calories spent
Consuming so many calories is a mistake. People often overestimate the number of calories that they burn while exercising and consecutively eat too much. This is the amount of exercise that an average person takes to burn off these junk foods:
• Regular sized doughnut: 30 minutes of swimming
• Regular sized chocolate bar: 30 minutes of jogging
• Entire pizza: 75 minutes of cycling
• Packet of chips: 80 minutes of football
• Small glass of white wine: 20 minute aerobic workout
• One pint of beer: 30 minutes of weight lifting
Most people don't exercise enough to burn of the junk foods they are eating. It is very important to combine nutrition and exercise, because exercise alone can only get you so far. The best way to lose weight is to exercise and follow a healthy diet simultaneously, cutting out the junk food from your life as much as possible.
Amount of exercise
You also need to understand the amount of exercise that you actually need to lose weight. To this effect, researchers have found that exercising for merely 150 minutes a week (around 20 minutes per day) is barely enough to maintain your weight. If you are hoping to lose weight, you would have to exercise for a minimum of 250 to 300 minutes every week (between 35 and 40 minutes per day). Ideally, in order to lose weight and keep it off, you should be exercising for 600 to 800 minutes per week, or for a good hour every day.
Exercise and food
When you exercise more, your appetite increases because your body needs more nutrition. When your appetite increases, you naturally tend to eat more. The choices that you make at this stage determine whether you put on more fat or more muscle and less fat. A study has found that people do not fully understand the link between exercise and nutrition. People assume that once they have exercised, they can eat whatever they want, and so after exercising they treat themselves to sugary treats and junk food.
Calories consumed vs. calories spent
Consuming so many calories is a mistake. People often overestimate the number of calories that they burn while exercising and consecutively eat too much. This is the amount of exercise that an average person takes to burn off these junk foods:
• Regular sized doughnut: 30 minutes of swimming
• Regular sized chocolate bar: 30 minutes of jogging
• Entire pizza: 75 minutes of cycling
• Packet of chips: 80 minutes of football
• Small glass of white wine: 20 minute aerobic workout
• One pint of beer: 30 minutes of weight lifting
Most people don't exercise enough to burn of the junk foods they are eating. It is very important to combine nutrition and exercise, because exercise alone can only get you so far. The best way to lose weight is to exercise and follow a healthy diet simultaneously, cutting out the junk food from your life as much as possible.
Amount of exercise
You also need to understand the amount of exercise that you actually need to lose weight. To this effect, researchers have found that exercising for merely 150 minutes a week (around 20 minutes per day) is barely enough to maintain your weight. If you are hoping to lose weight, you would have to exercise for a minimum of 250 to 300 minutes every week (between 35 and 40 minutes per day). Ideally, in order to lose weight and keep it off, you should be exercising for 600 to 800 minutes per week, or for a good hour every day.
