Health and Fitness Information Center

Get Physical: Exercise Regularly, Part 2

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Resistance or strength training involves working the muscles to make them stronger. Exercises like weight lifting, sit-ups and toning classes may not burn excess fat directly, but they enable muscles to work more efficiently. They also help rebuild lost muscle and strengthen bones, ligaments and tendons.

You should also carry out regular cardiovascular activities like cycling, jogging or skipping. These are designed to get your heart pumping and will also help improve your co-ordination, endurance and stamina, as well as tone muscle.

Exercise videos are an excellent way to keep fit at home, with many combining an aerobic workout with strength training, giving your body a full and thorough workout.

How Dieting and Exercise Affects Your Body Fat Reading
It is important that you combine sensible eating with physical activity if you want to lose weight and reduce your body fat level.

Quick fix, fad diets, that promise dramatic weight loss, do not work in the long term. Yes you may lose weight quickly in the beginning, but once you stop following the diet (which is almost certain) you will simply put this weight back on and probably more!

The dramatic weight loss is due to the fact that you are losing body water, not body fat. Your body uses up the easiest available energy sources first, which are the carbohydrate stores (glycogen) in the muscles. As water is stored with the glycogen, this means you could lose several pounds in water alone.

Once all the glycogen has gone, then your body uses the protein found in the muscles, leading to loss of muscle mass. Your metabolism slows down, meaning you need less and less calories in order for your body to function. To continue losing weight you need to eat even fewer calories.

When you return to your normal eating habits, your slower metabolism will store the extra calories it doesn't need as fat, meaning you regain the weight lost. Your body fat percentage reading will also go up, putting you at greater risk of health problems.

By following a sensible long-term healthy eating plan, combined with regular exercise, then you should see your primary doctor for an annual physical and yearly blood work.