Do Exercises Work?

A client recently approached me for dietary and lifestyle consultation. Her complaint was that she has been doing Zumba everyday but not losing weight. This Zumba is of low-moderate intensity and she sweats a lot but alas, the results on the weighing scale show otherwise.

I asked her about the exercise and she showed me the Youtube video she follows and that was when it hit me, that any exercise or physical activity has to be all about overcoming resistance. So, exercise will definitely challenge you and it is all about exertion. If it’s easy and one does it all the time, there will be less fat burn and less weight loss recorded.

Another staff approached me regarding her running exercise. She runs 3km daily but her weight is on a plateau. This means the body has adapted to such an exercise that it does not find it to be a resistance anymore.

The best tips to weight loss and fat loss is to look after:

1. Nutrition

Starting any exercise program without a change in dietary habits won’t work. Adding some extra cardio to make room for that extra glass of wine or extra desert will never yield the desired body. Nevertheless, once the body gets used to any cardio exercise, it burns even less calories than once started.

2. Varying exercises such as lifting weights and short duration high intensity workouts

Workouts should be hard for a certain duration and rest for a certain duration. Some good examples are circuit training, complexes, medicine ball exercises, battling ropes, sleds, rowing machine, body weight moves, jump rope, stair mills (aka The Gauntlet), upright bikes and to a lesser degree, treadmills and elliptical.

3. Body Type

Many individuals will see a petite female runner and assume that she has been running for a long time. The reality is that one does not run to get fit, one needs to be fit to run. Hence, when choosing a workout, do it according to the body type one has. If one is overweight, avoid knee bearing exercises like badminton and squash. Go for walks instead.

4. Rest/ Recovery Day

Too much of workout and no rest results in hormonal imbalances. Days off are incredibly important. One is not going to lose whatever progress they made just by taking a weekend off.

Last but not least, to achieve your weight goals, one needs to exercise smart and eat wisely. Simple solution but tough for many to follow.

Reference:
Powers, S. K., & Howley, E. T. (2018). Exercise physiology: theory and application to fitness and performance. Mcgraw-Hill Education.