The scientific principles and calorie consumption mechanisms of exercise for weight loss

Why does exercise help with weight loss?

Many people know that exercise can help with weight loss, and it's the most effective way to lose weight because it's very beneficial to health. As the famous 18th-century French physician Tissot wrote in a book, "No medicine in the world can replace the beneficial effects of exercise." This is also true for weight loss. For the past 20 years, in the United States and around the world, almost all weight loss prescriptions have been based on restrictive diets. However, today we should emphasize that regular and appropriate exercise can help with stable weight loss. Some studies have shown that in a person weighing 150 pounds (one pound equals 0.4536 kilograms), brisk walking burns 6-7 calories per minute. Therefore, assuming the caloric value of food remains constant, if you change your walking routine to 10 minutes a day and persist for ten years, it's enough to keep your weight constant.

Dr. Meyer believes that half a kilogram of fat is equivalent to 3500 calories. And 100 calories is equivalent to the calories burned by walking for 20 minutes. Therefore, a 20-minute walk daily can result in a weight loss of 4.5 kg per year. Walking briskly can burn up to 300 calories per hour. For tennis players, this figure is 400-500 calories per hour. Rowing burns even more, exceeding 1000 calories per hour.

However, stopping exercise can lead to weight gain. According to a report by James Glenn, his survey of 350 obese adults showed that 236 of them began to gain weight after ceasing exercise. Numerous studies have demonstrated that regular, moderate physical activity improves the efficiency of the cardiovascular system, lowers blood pressure, reduces serum triglyceride levels, improves the ratio of high-density proteins to low-density lipoproteins, enhances blood circulation, and burns excess calories and fat. This is undoubtedly beneficial for weight loss.