Warmer weather seems to be more conducive to exercise. Maybe you’re looking to break a sweat and lose a few pounds in the process.
GenuLines always supports good health, and managing your weight is a big part of that. Below are some things to keep in mind during your program. All the best!
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How Much Exercise Do You Need Every Day To Lose Weight?
Weight loss requires both a disciplined dietary approach and exercise. Other factors are important too. But, how much exercise do you need to do?
There’s no magic number of minutes, reps or hours needed to produce weight loss. Rather there are variables that you have to consider to reach the right numbers.
Here are some options to help you come up with an exercise time frame that works best for you.
Variable 1: Calories Consumed and Calorie Quality
The first principle of weight loss is that to lose weight you must reach a caloric deficit. This means burning more calories than you’re consuming.
So, to know the amount of exercise needed to lose weight, you need to know your daily caloric intake. Just as important are the sources of those calories.
For example, vegetables versus potato chips. If you function on a low-calorie diet you’ll need less exercise to lose weight.
You may be fine with a moderate 3-4 day a week training plan. If you eat large amounts of food you’ll need to up your exercise plan.
Variable 2: Exercise Type and Intensity
The second key variable is the type and intensity of exercise. 20 minutes on the elliptical has a far different energy output than 20 minutes of all-out sprinting.
This variable can also dovetail with our first variable. The greater the calorie consumption, the more energy for high-intensity exercise. Otherwise, you may not need to exercise for an especially long time or at a high intensity.
In general, aerobic-intensive exercise is different. It requires a longer time to see any sort of effective impact on weight loss.
Jogging, biking, the elliptical or other options eat up more time. This could consume hours over the course of a week before you see a meaningful impact.
Anaerobic activities will be more effective in a shorter amount of time. These include sprinting, resistance training or interval training methods.
But, their intensity level is much higher. So, you’ll need a certain level of fitness to get the full potential and results.
Variable 3: What is the Weight Loss Goal? How much time do we have to achieve it?
The third variable is arguably the most important. Think of your car ride or travel plans.
They’re determined by your destination. Your exercise plan and weight loss journey will be dictated by the goal we have set. If the goal is to lose 5 pounds in two months, that is a fairly modest and achievable goal for most.
If you’re a sedentary person you would only need to exercise 20-30 minutes a day for 3-4 days a week to achieve this goal.
Conversely, if your goal is to lose 30 pounds in two months, the equation is quite different. This would involve more hours every day at high intensity to achieve that same goal.
Putting it All Together: Finding the Right Number
We’ve examined the variables. Now we can consider how much exercise we need per day to lose weight.
Let’s say you have a low caloric intake, low-intensity aerobic exercise, and a modest goal.
You might be O.K. with 30-45 minutes of aerobic exercise a day. Not so if you love to eat, love to lift weights and also have an ambitious goal for weight loss.
You’re going to have to spend considerable time every day working out to reach those goals. Your best bet would be to assess your starting point as compared to your goal.
Look at how much time you have to reach that goal. Then make your plan to reach it.
This is a better bet than relying on a standard number or cookie-cutter approach.
JohnK 5-16-2018
Overheard: ”Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” ~ George Bernard Shaw
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