Is exercise really effective for weight loss? Isn’t eating healthy good enough?
In this post I’ll explain why exercise is necessary for weight control, and why you should start doing more of it.
There’s been some recent controversy about whether or not exercise is even necessary for weight control.
Although exercise alone isn’t enough to manage your weight, it does provide some major benefits that you can’t ignore.
1) Exercise Improves Your Physique
It’s safe to say that most men would kill for bulging biceps, a strong chest and a nice six pack. Although this type of physique will require some hard work on your part, it is achievable.
Exercise, especially strength training, will increase your lean muscle mass which will add definition to your frame.
An added benefit is that a healthy physique will also increase your overall attractiveness and sexual performance.
2) Better Metabolism
Metabolism refers to the way your body uses food for energy. If you have a slow metabolism, you will burn fewer calories at rest and during physical activity. This means that you’ll have to eat less food in order to put on weight.
Having a high metabolism is the opposite. People with high metabolism’s are more efficient at burning calories and have more control over their weight (1).
Exercise is very important for maintaining a high metabolism, especially when it comes to muscle. Unlike fat, muscle requires more energy to maintain which leads to more calories burned overall.
This is especially true during exercise when muscles are broken down and repaired. In fact your body will continue to burn calories up to 72 hours after certain types of exercise.
3) Exercise Improves your mood
Maintaining a healthy weight can be a challenge, and in order to stay consistent you must have a positive mindset.
One of the easiest and most effective ways to achieve this is by exercising regularly.
Although exercise can be uncomfortable, the payoff is a release of feel good hormones known as endorphins.
These natural drugs provide you with feelings of well-being, which reduces your overall stress levels (2). When you exercise regularly, you’ll develop a more positive mindset, which will increase your motivation to maintain a healthy weight
4) Improves your heart and lungs
When it comes to losing weight, the most popular type of exercise people think of is cardio.
Besides burning extra calories, cardio exercises also improves your lungs, and strengthens your heart (3).
Being obese puts a lot of strain on your cardiovascular system which overtime leads to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. By exercising Regularly, you’ll not only control your weight, but will also reduce your risk for disease.
5) exercise improves your sleep
Besides making you feel refreshed, improving your mental functions, and repairing your body, sleep plays a major role in managing your weight.
If you’re not getting enough sleep, you can develop a hormonal imbalance which can lead to an increased appetite and unhealthy weight gain. This explains why most people crave junk food instead of a salad for a late night snack.
By getting enough rest, you’ll have better control of your appetite and your weight.
6) Exercise builds discipline
Lack of discipline is one of the main reasons why people fail at controlling their weight.
Although some people are naturally disciplined, most people have to develop that skill on their own.
One of the best ways to achieve this is by having an exercise routine. Sticking with an exercise routine takes good amount of commitment, because it’s very easy to lose motivation.
This is especially true when it comes to losing or maintaining weight. In most cases, people don’t start seeing positive results when they first start exercising. When this happens, most people start doubting themselves, which eventually leads to them giving up.
By being disciplined, you’ll develop the mental muscles needed to get through times of low motivation and self doubt.
Conclusion
As you can see, exercise is absolutely necessary for maintaining a healthy weight.
You can start making exercise a part of your life by setting aside at least 30 minutes a day for physical activity.
For more information about becoming the healthiest version of yourself, please subscribe to my monthly newsletter and receive a free download of the: "Ultimate Weight Loss Checklist"
Aaron Henry PA-C
Men's Health Coach
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