Get moving to lose those pounds !
Exercise
The third leg of a weight control program relies on regular exercise to increase calorie expenditure. A nutritionally responsible method for weight reduction includes eating adequate amounts of the proper foods and exercising to burn the extra calories form these foods. A person who exercises regularly can afford to eat several hundred calories a day more than their non-exercising friends without incurring a weight gain.
Exercise is categorized in two basic forms, aerobic and anaerobic. Aerobic involves sustained activity of 20-30 minutes or more duration with an increase in heart rate to 70% or more of the predicted maximum. This type of activity has proven to be useful in reducing heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases, lowering cholesterol and blood pressure, improving blood sugar control in diabetics and improving mood. Examples include, running, walking, cycling, swimming, cross country skiing, rowing and many others. The disadvantage of aerobic activity is that the number of calories consumed is relatively small for the time expended, unless the intensity level is very high. However, aerobic activity uses fat as a fuel and is an excellent way to lose body fat.
Anaerobic activity involves short bursts of intense activity, usually involving some form of resistance. Weight training is the classic example. Weight training and other resistance exercise increases lean muscle mass. This will increase the baseline metabolic rate and resting caloric usage. Calories consumed during anaerobic activity come primarily from stored sugars in the body and is not as efficient in burning fat as aerobic exercise. Because muscle weighs more than fat, people losing fat and increasing muscle mass may not see a rapid reduction in weight. Muscle tone will improve, however, and percent body fat will decrease. Resistance training slows the progression of osteoporosis in both men and women and increases strength. Astronauts engage in resistance exercise during long duration space flight to minimize the rapid bone loss that occurs in a weightless environment. Many team sports such as basketball and soccer combine elements of both aerobic and anaerobic activity.
Both of these forms of activity consume calories and are useful in a weight reduction program. The level of calorie consumption depends on the intensity and duration of exercise. In general, walking and running one mile uses about 100 calories. Runners just burn the 100 calories faster than walkers who cover the same distance. Swimming 300 yards and bicycling approximately three miles also burns about 100 calories. Many pieces of modern exercise equipment found in health clubs will quantify calories used. These numbers are not extremely accurate unless your weight is used in the calculations or you weigh about read more
