Obesity and being overweight are common issues faced by people all over the world caused by excessive fat accumulation in the body. When one’s weight is unchecked and leans on the heavier side, it leaves one susceptible to several diseases and health complications. Some of them are high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, strokes and heart disease, osteoarthritis, etc. to name a few. It is important to maintain a healthy weight to keep your body healthy and free from these weight-related diseases. In the pursuit of weight loss, people are often confused about whether to alter their diet or to incorporate exercise into their daily routine. Let’s look into the importance of both.
The food we eat determines our overall health and directly affects our weight. When we think of diet and weight loss, most people immediately think of reducing their food intake, counting calories, fasting, etc. However, there are better and easier ways to induce weight loss without having to take extreme measures. Here are some methods you can incorporate to lose weight effectively:
Exercise is important for overall well-being but while striving for weight loss, it becomes even more important. Exercise helps in weight loss by burning off calories and the accumulated fat in the body. It also helps weight reduction by speeding up the metabolic system. Here are some forms of exercise that you can incorporate to lose weight. No matter which activity you choose, it is crucial that you practice it on a regular basis. At least 150 minutes a week of any of the physical activities below will lead to significant weight loss.
Although exercise can help with burning calories and reducing fat faster, adopting exercise alone is not enough to promote weight loss. Studies have shown that a combination of regular exercise and following a healthy diet provides the best results for effective weight loss [2]. As a general rule of thumb, the calories burned in a day should be more than the calories consumed. This ensures an effective weight loss strategy. Hence, combining a healthy diet and an active lifestyle with moderate to intense exercise provides the right calorie deficit for weight loss.