How Much Physical Activity is Recommended for Weight Loss?

Looking to lose a few extra pounds of weight? Physical activity and exercise regimens might be the answer you are looking for. Although, how exactly do physical activity and weight loss connect?

According to study, among the primary beneficial effects of physical activity is an improvement in well-being and physical fitness. Many obese or overweight people turn to energy-restricted diets, hoping to lose weight.

In reality, a proper and effective weight loss program tends to be more successful if there is a combination of diet and exercise interventions.

Now, how much physical activity is needed to lose weight? Is there such a thing as too much? Read more in this detailed guide on physical activity and weight loss!

What is Physical Activity?

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines exercise or physical activity as any body movement requiring energy expenditure. It includes any motion you perform throughout the day, excluding lying down and sitting still.

Essentially, you are doing physical activity at various points of your day — including:

• Taking the stairs
• Cleaning the house
• Mowing the lawn
• Walking to class
• Doing the laundry.

Though, most of your daily and common physical activities are mild and are only enough to make you sweat a bit. There are more moderate and vigorous physical activities that can help reduce overall weight and improve health.

One popular type of physical activity is exercise. It is a structured, planned, and repetitive physical activity to improve or maintain physical fitness. Exercise can work the body at a greater rate and intensity than usual daily physical movement.

Common examples of exercise are:

• Dancing
• Running
• Doing sports

Performing constant physical activity can offer immediate and long-term health benefits. So, what could be the advantages of engaging in regular physical activity?

Benefits of Physical Activity

Staying physically active can lessen the risk of developing diseases, improve brain health, and strengthen your bones and muscles. It can also help you improve your everyday functionality.

Physical activity can also help in terms of the following:

• Losing weight
• Improving sleep quality
• Improving body coordination and balance
• Reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression
• Lowering the blood pressure
• Reducing the risk of acquiring osteoporosis
• Reducing the risks of several cancer forms
• Improving brain health
• Lessening the chances of developing type 2 diabetes, stroke, and heart attack

How Does Physical Activity Impact Weight?

Almost half of the American adult population has attempted to lose weight in the last year. Aside from dieting, exercising was among the most common methods to try and lose weight. The reason — it burns calories.

You can lose weight by reducing calorie intake alone. All that is required for weight loss is a calorie deficit.

However, the richness of the Western diet makes it difficult to maintain a calorie deficit over an extended period of time. By combining physical activity with a reduced calorie intake, you can increase the likelihood of maintaining a calorie deficit.

Regular exercise, specifically resistance training (i.e. lifting weights) can also help maintain or gain muscle mass, bone density, and muscle quality. Muscle happens to consume.

Creating a Calorie Deficit Through Physical Activity

While diet plays a crucial role in weight loss, physical activity is an essential component in creating and maintaining a calorie deficit. A calorie deficit occurs when you burn more calories than you consume, which is necessary for weight loss. Regular exercise increases the number of calories your body uses for energy, contributing to this deficit.

The American Heart Association recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity per week for overall cardiovascular health. However, for significant weight loss, more physical activity is often needed. Studies suggest that 300 minutes or more of moderate-intensity activity per week may be necessary to lose weight or maintain weight loss without drastic dietary changes.

It's important to note that the number of calories burned during exercise varies based on factors such as body weight, exercise intensity, and duration. For example, a 155-pound person can burn approximately 175 calories in 30 minutes of walking at a moderate pace. Increasing the intensity or duration of your workouts can lead to a greater calorie burn and a more substantial deficit.

Combining increased physical activity with a balanced, reduced-calorie diet is often the most effective approach for creating a sustainable calorie deficit. This combination allows for a more moderate reduction in calorie intake while still achieving weight loss goals. Remember, the key to successful weight loss is consistency in both diet and exercise habits over time.

How Much Physical Activity Is Needed For Weight Loss?

Being physically active is one of the effective methods if you want to lose weight. 75 to 150 minutes a week of combined moderate and vigorous exercise is recommended for adults aged 18-64 to lose weight. This should be manageable for individuals juggling work, social commitments, and family life.

Exercise does not have to come in the form of extremely long sessions. Recently, there’s been the rise of “exercise snacks” - short bouts of a few minutes of exercise sprinkled throughout the day. This is especially helpful for those with busy schedules and adults with sedentary jobs.

If you can afford the time, there are two forms of aerobic exercise that promote longevity and weight loss: low-intensity steady state (LISS) cardio and high-intensity interval training (HIIT).

LISS, also known as “Zone 2 cardio” involves any aerobic exercise (e.g. walking, jogging, swimming, hiking, etc.) that allows you to maintain a slightly elevated heart rate over an extended period of time. Sources vary, but the target heart rate for LISS/Zone 2 cardio is 60-80% of your maximum heart rate. And, most experts agree that sessions ideally last 1 hour with a minimum of 45 minutes in order to sufficiently stimulate improved cardiovascular and metabolic health. LISS is fantastic for weight loss as it is a sustainable form of calorie burning that does not tax the body significantly, reducing the likelihood of injury and burnout.

A great compliment to LISS is the total other end of the spectrum, HIIT. HIIT ideally gets your heart rate to above 90-95% of your maximum heart rate. This form of exercise does more than burn a significant amount of calories in a short period, it also enhances your cardiovascular performance, measured by a term called VO2 Max.

VO2 max is a measure of how much oxygen your body can absorb in a given time period, which involves how much air you’re breathing in and how much blood is pumped through your lungs to absorb oxygen in that air. VO2 max has been shown to correlate with lifespan.

Together, it’s recommended to do 150-210 minutes of LISS/Zone 2 cardio and at least one session of HITT per week. This combines the strengths and weaknesses of each form of cardio.

In addition to aerobic exercise, at least two sessions of flexibility and strengthening exercises are recommended to maintain muscle mass and functionality.

Flexibility exercises can help improve your body posture, helping reduce joint and muscle aches. Meanwhile, strengthening exercises can help make the muscles stronger and denser.

If you want to reduce weight and see results faster, you might need to make more time for exercise and physical activity. According to the US Department of Health and Services, you need at least 300 minutes of moderate and intense physical activity weekly. Such an exercise duration can help you reduce weight by 5%.

Once you hit your desired weight, don't suddenly drop your exercise regimen. Doing so might result in weight gain after a few months.

8 Best Physical Activities To Help Lose Weight

Losing weight can happen by stepping up your exercise routine. Essentially, a consistent and regular exercise session can go a long way to help you achieve your goal.
Here's a look at some of the best physical activities to help you achieve your ideal weight:

Walking

Walking is probably the best and easiest choice for a free, low-impact workout and is a great form of LISS. It is highly accessible across a wide range of abilities and ages.

Walking is perfect for people looking for something easy and convenient. It's also perfect for beginners afraid to feel overwhelmed and stressed.

Adding a half-hour brisk walk to your daily routine and schedule should help you burn 150 calories. Note that the faster and longer you walk, the more calories and fat you burn off.

Harvard Health claims that a 155-pound person can effectively burn 175 calories by walking for 30 minutes at a pace of 4 mph.

Running and Jogging

Good physical activity can help you lose weight and improve your cardiovascular health. Running and jogging are among those exercises.

These exercises may seem similar, but they differ in pace. Jogging tends to fall between 4-6 mph, while running can go more than 6 mph.

Studies found that running and jogging can assist in burning off visceral fat, otherwise known as belly fat. It's the type of fat linked to several chronic diseases, including diabetes and heart disease.

You can easily fit both physical activities into your daily routine as they don't require any special gear or equipment. Start jogging for about 20-30 minutes 3-4 times weekly to get you started.

Cycling

Cycling is an effective aerobic exercise that can help improve your endurance, increase your body temperature, and help support your cardiovascular system. It's a traditional outdoor activity that is quick and easy to do.

On average, a person can burn over 250 calories by cycling for about 30 minutes on a stationary bike. Meanwhile, you can burn off 288 calories after cycling outdoors for 30 minutes. Although, that number can increase or decrease depending on the speed.

Weight Training

Strength and weight training might not conjure the fastest results, but it does help with building lean muscles and denser bones. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn off every day during workouts and rest.

Weight training not only aids in losing weight but also helps keep the weight off the body. Include dumbbells or kettlebells into your workout routine for healthy weight training. Do these exercises 3-5 times a week for about an hour a day.

Swimming

It can be hard to motivate yourself to exercise if you're dreading achy bones and hurt back. Swimming should be the perfect physical activity if you feel at ease in water.

It's an exercise that is easy on the joints and body. It uses both your lower and body parts, allowing you to work out your entire body. Also, it gives you good cardio exercise.

Your swimming style can affect the number of calories you burn. A study found breaststroke to burn the most calories, followed closely by butterfly, backstroke, and then freestyle.

Yoga

If you're looking to combine exercise and meditation, yoga should be an ideal physical activity. It's grown in popularity as a workout that also enables relaxation and mindfulness after a tiring and stressful day at work or school.

While yoga may seem slow in comparison to more intense physical activities, Harvard Health estimates that a person with a 155-pound weight can still consume 144 calories after a 30-minute yoga session.

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

High-intensity interval Training alternates between intense exercise and low-intensity recovery periods. It goes back and forth between challenging bursts and rest.

It's not a workout you can do every day due to the strain it puts on your body. However, it does prove to be effective in losing weight.

A study concluded that HIIT workouts can burn 25-30 calories per minute during the high-intensity phases of the workout, which is more than other types of physical activities. That means with HIIT, you can lose more weight and spend less time exercising.

An example of HIIT: using the treadmill and pairing 30-second intervals of running fast with several minutes of moderate jogging.

Final Thoughts

Physical activity is an effective and definite way to lose weight. It's a matter of discipline and knowing when is enough versus too much.

How much physical activity is recommended for weight loss? 75-150 minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic physical activity per week should be enough. If you want faster results, you can go for more time.

Remember to take it easy if you're not used to exercising. For individuals just starting (or re-starting) their exercise journey, easing into an exercise routine reduces the risk of injury and early burnout, both of which sets you back from establishing a long-term habit.

FAQs on Physical Activity for Weight Loss

Is there a risk to physical activity?

A common risk of constant physical activity is injury to the musculoskeletal system, ranging from a minor muscle strain to joint or bone trauma. The biggest risk, however, is a cardiac event.

Who should be physically active?

All people, no matter their gender and age, should practice being physically active. Becoming so can lead to a healthier and longer life.

How to exercise safely?

There are a lot of safety tips to remember when exercising. Among the most important ones are warming up, following instructions, dressing appropriately, finding a safe environment, and not putting yourself at active risk of injury.

Can you lose weight with exercise alone?

Exercise alone will not be enough to achieve weight loss. Doing physical activity while ignoring your diet is not a good or effective strategy for losing weight.

How to maintain your weight loss?

The best means to maintain weight loss is by continuing to be physically active, keep track of your diet, and get plenty of sleep.

Where is the hardest place to lose fat?

The abdominal area and the lower back (aka ove handles) are typically the part of the body that lose fat last. Only with a prolonged calorie deficit will your body mobilize fat from these areas.