Move Heavy Stuff to Lose Weight
If you're on this website and reading this it is very likely you have the aim of losing weight/fat. In the initial phase any and every form of exercise will help you to effectively lose weight.
To begin with lets look at the mechanics of calories in vs calories out. If you are eating more calories than you are burning, you will gain weight. If you are eating less calories than you are burning you will lose weight. By taking up exercise you will now be burning more calories and with enough exercise you will achieve a calorie deficit (burning more calories than you consume). If the process of reaching a calorie deficit is achieved frequently enough weight loss will occur.
Now lets take a look at metabolism. The Cambridge Dictionary defines Metabolism as; ‘all the chemical processes in your body, especially those that cause food to be used for energy and growth‘. When we exercise we are using energy, increasing our metabolism for that period of time. When we aim to lose weight, that weight loss can occur from several sources;
• Body fluid
• Fat stores
• Muscle Loss
Now the one to highlight is muscle loss. If when we are losing weight we lose muscle in the process we inadvertently reduce our metabolism and the volume of chemical processes occurring at any given time. This is the reason research suggests resistance training (weight lifting) be included as part of your training plan. By including weight training you will stimulate the body to maintain and keep the muscle you have and so maintain the metabolism at a higher level.
For those of you worried about gaining muscle do not fear, gaining muscle can be difficult particularly for females and to gain muscle you must be in a calorie surplus (eating more than you burn). Now it is not necessary for you to be picking up hundreds of pounds, bodyweight exercises can be a great way to begin your weight training regime. Exercises such as;
• Squats
• Lunges
• Press Ups
• Plank
…are all great examples of bodyweight exercises before moving onto any weight lifting exercises.
Where possible look to be doing some form of weight training 3 times per week in order to maintain metabolism, this alongside some lighter easier work such as jogging/ walking or swimming 1 or 2 times per week will be a great place to have you losing the weight you have been wanting too.
