Resource Library

Exercise can keep a check on those holidays pounds, but the more calories you add, the harder you have to sweat to take them off.

A Harvard study of overweight middle-aged women found that even shedding as few as five pounds can make a difference in a person's health. Yet, how much exercise you need to achieve that or make a difference in your weight depends on the amount and type of activity. It also depends on how much you eat.

According to the President's Council on Physical Fitness, a medium-sized adult would have to walk more than 30 miles to burn up 3,500 calories, the equivalent of one pound of fat. Although that may seem like a lot, you don't have to walk the 30 miles all at once.

"We don't need to lose one pound in one sitting or one bout of exercise," says John Acquaviva, Ph.D., healthAtoZ's Ask the Expert on fitness.

"Let's say you took in 250 fewer calories a day than you normally do and you exercised for 20 to 25 minutes - which burns about 250 calories (depending on the activity and what you weigh). That is 500 calories a day that puts you in the black, so to speak. If you do that every day for a week, that's 500 times seven, you'd burn 3,500 calories," says Acquaviva, who is an assistant professor of health and physical education at Roanoke College in Salem, Va.

Burning 500 calories a day is tough, so try every other day, Acquaviva says. "If you lose slowly - say, one pound every week or two - in a productive, thorough manner, rather than an extreme measure, you're more likely to keep it off."

Regular exercise can permanently increase your metabolism, according to Acquaviva. "Even if you are not doing anything after exercise, your body is more efficient at burning calories."

Research has shown that the number one choice of exercise is walking. Acquaviva says make sure it's not a leisurely walk versus a fitness walk. You should have a swing in your arms, and your step should be brisk. Acquaviva suggests walking with 3- to 5-pound hand weights to burn more calories and to gain more definition in your upper body.

It is always best to check with your doctor before beginning any exercise program. Once you have done so, make sure you pick an activity or exercise you enjoy and something that is accessible. "Don't just pick an exercise because you heard it was good. Cross-country skiing is great, but what good is it if you don't know how or don't have skis?" Acquaviva says. If you pick something you like, he adds, you're more likely to stick with it.

Whether you walk or kick box, Acquaviva says regularity of exercise is the most important principle of training. For example, three days of exercise per week at 20 to 30 minutes per session is more beneficial to your health than one day for an hour - even though the total time is the same.

Furthermore, he says exercise smarter, not harder. Intensity is important, but increase your duration or time spent with the exercise before intensity.

Finally, "no pain, no gain" is a fallacy. Exercise should not be painful, but it should fatigue you, he says.

This article was published on 1999-12-23
This article was reviewed on 2003-02-03