In our friendly company of not-so-young people, an argument has arisen again. Some colleagues began to question our basic thesis.
We would like to engage in the kind of physical activity that leads to concrete creative results. “Movement as a Lifestyle“
Some colleagues began to ask: Would such physical activity allow us to control our weight? This raised new questions.
What are these types of physical activity? How and what do they affect?
I decided to turn to the WHO
They have a full set of recommendations, “WHO recommends: …”
Naturally, I’m only going to pick out a few that are related to our topic.
If anyone wants to know in detail. I have a link to a page on the WHO website: “Physical activity”
WHO gives a generalized definition of “physical activity“.
“– is any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that requires the expenditure of energy.“
We have two basic concepts – any bodily movement and energy expenditure.
The ratio of the amount of body movement to energy expenditure leads to the concept of a healthy weight. In the concept of healthy weight, there should be food (volume and quality of food consumed).
We get such a connection: body movement – energy expenditure – food – healthy weight.
And a healthy weight should contribute to a healthy lifestyle.
Wow – how simple everything is in this world! (I’m laughing).
What can people do to maintain a healthy weight?
Have a reasonable balance of physical activity and food intake.
And that’s a reasonable ratio for you specifically.
How do different types of physical activity affect weight management?
There are six main types of physical activity. They all have different effects on weight management.
But consistency in physical activity is very important. Do not skip them without a good reason.
And then the result will be sure.
1. Low-intensity Activities
These mostly include: walking, gardening, and housework. I would add quiet (less than 5 mph) riding a bicycle without going up hills.
This type of activity won’t lead to intense weight loss. But it will help keep your weight in check.
You will be able to afford tasty excesses in your diet. When feasting with friends and at holiday parties, you will not be visited by bad thoughts about weight.
General recommendations – 150 minutes a week, will help to reduce excess weight. That’s only 2.5 hours a week.
It seems a little small, but try doing it consistently, every week.
3. Strength Training
These are called weight training or resistance training. Their main purpose is to improve strength and endurance.
They include bodyweight and weight training methods, and isometric and plyometric exercises.
The training aims to gradually increase the muscle force output. For this purpose, additional equipment is used. This can be a variety of types of dumbbells or barbells, a variety of trainers, and expanders.
Strength training is used for weight loss, strength development, endurance, and bodybuilding.
Can purposefully correct the figure. Help strengthen muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bones. This helps reduce the risk of injury and joint disease.
4. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
This type of workout has become very popular.
And the reason for its popularity is its great effectiveness in burning calories and fat in a short time.
HIIT is performed by alternating short series of different forms of physical activity.
A period of high intensity alternates with a period of low-intensity exercise or a period of rest. The high-intensity period lasts 10-20 seconds. The rest period may last 1-7 minutes.
Metabolism is activated at the time of alternating high and low-intensity intervals. First of all, the body consumes glycogen stored in muscle tissues.
And then it starts to consume fats, using them as fuel. It is at this point that the body begins to “recycle” its fat layer.
But it is also noteworthy that metabolism can be active throughout the day. Fat burning occurs after exercise as well.
HIIT is more effective for weight loss than other types of exercise.
5. Sports and Recreational Activities
In this category of physical activity, there are many options for burning your extra fat. You have a wealth of choices based on your preferences, age, and gender.
There is no point in listing all the types, I will only point out the most popular ones. Dance, volleyball, basketball, tennis, golf, hiking, bicycle touring, fishing, windsurfing, water skiing, surfing, sailing, diving,…
You will get a slim figure, good physical endurance, a great mood, and a lot of positive emotions.
The positive things you can get from this kind of physical activity cannot be described in one post. Books can be written about it. And they have already been written many times.
6. Yoga and Pilates
I cannot fail to mention these types of physical activity.
These types of exercise are not so effective for burning extra fat.
In yoga classes, the emphasis is not on physical activity, but on achieving complete control over your body.
The main advantages of yoga:
– Helps in achieving psycho-emotional harmony.
– Effectively develops flexibility, elasticity, and elasticity of all muscles.
There is also such a direction as power yoga. Sometimes called – fitness yoga. It is aimed at the development of certain muscles and weight loss.
Pilates is a fitness direction.
The workouts are varied. A combination of strength and relaxation exercises.
Aimed at strengthening all muscle groups. There is a general recovery of the body.
Pilates can be called recreational gymnastics.
Contributes to the improvement of well-being, and increases endurance.
More effective than yoga for weight loss purposes.
What can I add?
Useful extracts from WHO recommendations:
Below are quotes from the linked page:
“Regular physical activity is proven to help prevent and manage noncommunicable diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and several cancers.”
“It also helps prevent hypertension, maintain healthy body weight and can improve mental health, quality of life and well-being.”
“People who are insufficiently active have a 20% to 30% increased risk of death compared to people who are sufficiently active.”
Adults aged 18–64 years
– should do at least 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity;
– or at least 75–150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity;
– may increase moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity to more than 300 minutes; or do more than 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity;
– should limit the amount of time spent being sedentary.
I hope I have piqued your interest with the quotes from the WHO recommendations.
You can read further on your own, there are quite a few recommendations.
Above, I’ve covered all the main types of physical activity – to suit all tastes.
They all have different effects on maintaining a healthy weight. But each has its features and benefits.
The choice is yours, but don’t forget to consult your doctor.
What else do I know that is interesting about weight management?
In our friendly company there are a couple of people who add their own experiences to the well-known methods of weight loss. And they assure me that it’s very effective.
Of course, I’m talking about our lovely women.
I asked them to share their secrets on the pages of this blog.
There are some very interesting combinations of weight loss solutions out there.
They haven’t said no, but they haven’t written yet either.
Hopefully, we will read about it soon.
