You’ve probably heard that exercise helps people lose weight, but do you actually believe it? It’s an understandable question. After all, the idea of regular exercise is certainly appealing: you’re guaranteed to burn calories, strengthen your muscles, and improve your overall well-being. But what if I tell you that there is no solid evidence that proves that physical activity helps improve your weight? In other words, does exercise, in fact, help you lose weight?
The Evidence
First and foremost, let’s examine the evidence from reputable scientific studies and trials that have tested the theory that physical activity helps with weight loss. It turns out that there isn’t a clear answer to this question; however, the jury is still out. That is to say, there are some studies that support the claim that exercise helps with weight loss, but there are also several others that don’t show much of a benefit from exercise.
Before we begin looking at the studies, it’s important to understand the differences between the two main types of physical activity:
- Cardio: This type of exercise has been proven to help with weight loss. It typically involves continuous muscular activity, such as walking or running. While it’s extremely beneficial for your health, it isn’t very productive when it comes to losing weight. In fact, it’s been proven that too much cardio, especially when combined with a high-carb diet, can cause weight gain. So, in case you’re wondering, less is more when it comes to cardio. Try and stick with yoga or swimming to see beneficial effects on your body.
- Strength Training: This type of exercise is often overlooked when it comes to weight loss, but it’s an area where you can really make a difference. It involves using your muscles to perform specific tasks, such as lifting weights or doing sit-ups. While cardio and strength training both involve moving your body, they function slightly differently. For example, when you do cardio, your body is always in motion, but when you do strength training, your body stays still while you perform the exercise. The reasoning behind this is that cardio exercises help improve your body’s
- Agility
- Endurance
- Response Time
- All-around Performance
(Wikipedia) whereas strength training focuses on
- Muscle Tones
- Progression
- Mental Focus
- Shifting Loads
- Stamina
(Wikipedia). In other words, it improves your body’s quality rather than just its quantity.
Now that you know the differences between the two, let’s examine the studies.
The Studies
In an effort to answer the question, “Does exercise help you lose weight?”, scientists from the University of Texas at Austin examined the theory that physical activity helps with weight loss. They compared the effects of two different exercise programs on 12 healthy men and women, all of whom were overweight or obese. One group of subjects followed a standard weight loss program that consisted of a diet and regular physical activity, while the other group engaged in a fitness program that also included strength training. The findings of this study were published in the journal Obesity. Here’s what they discovered:
- The participants in the strength training group showed significant improvements in
- Body-fat percentage
- BMI (Body Mass Index)
- Lysine Acetyltransferase (an enzyme linked to muscle growth)
- Muscle mass
- Performance in the chair stand test (a measure of muscular strength)
- Performance in the six-minute walk test (a measure of aerobic fitness)
(Wikipedia) compared to those in the control group. The researchers concluded that strength training helped the participants to lose weight and improve their physical fitness.
- The participants who engaged in the standard weight-loss program also showed significant improvements in
- Body-fat percentage
- BMI (Body Mass Index)
- Lysine Acetyltransferase (an enzyme linked to muscle growth)
- Muscle mass
- Performance in the chair stand test (a measure of muscular strength)
- Performance in the six-minute walk test (a measure of aerobic fitness)
(Wikipedia) compared to those in the control group. However, the scientists noted that the subjects in this group gained a significant amount of weight during the study. They also pointed out that there were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of
- Lipid metabolism
- Blood pressure
- HbA1c (a measure of blood sugar)
- C-reactive protein (a measure of inflammation)
- Oxidative stress
(Wikipedia) after six months of participation in the study.
- The researchers found that the subjects in the strength training group had increased their VO2 max (Maximal Volume of Oxygen that can be taken in per Minute) by 4.9%, while the standard weight loss group increased their VO2 max by 2.2%. The scientists concluded that strength training improved cardiovascular fitness more than a diet did. However, as noted earlier, the subjects in the standard weight-loss group actually gained a significant amount of weight during the study. This means that their initial weight loss was actually due to the weight they gained rather than any physiological improvements from the exercise program. So, while this study provides evidence that strength training can help with weight loss, it also highlights the fact that one has to be extremely careful about what programs they follow, especially if they want to lose weight.
Takeaway
While there isn’t a clear answer to the question, “Does exercise help you lose weight?”, the scientific studies and trials that have been conducted thus far provide strong evidence that strength training can improve your physical fitness and increase your body’s
- All-around Performance
- Muscle Tones
- Progression
- Mental Focus
- Shifting Loads
- Stamina
(Wikipedia). In other words, it can help to improve your body’s quality rather than just its quantity.
So, instead of focusing on trying to shed off as much weight as possible, which can often be the case with traditional diets, it might be a better idea to work on increasing your body’s overall performance, muscular strength, and endurance. This will help you to maintain a healthy weight and even lose pounds thanks to the many advantages that strength training can provide. And as a bonus, you’ll enjoy the exercise and the many health benefits that it can provide.