Aerobic weight loss is actually very simple: A complete guide to heart rate, time, oxygen levels, and exercise selection.

Aerobic weight loss – it’s actually very simple

Aerobic exercise (including various aerobic gymnastics, running, cycling, swimming, rope skipping, etc.) is considered the best way to lose weight healthily because it has a very good effect on improving cardiopulmonary function and reducing fat for everyone (unless there is a specific disease).

So why do some people not see good results after trying it? The problem is that they did not choose a suitable aerobic exercise program based on their physical condition and exercise interests, that is, they did not design an aerobic exercise prescription for themselves.

Let's learn some essential basic concepts and physiological knowledge, as these are important prerequisites for designing your own aerobic exercise prescription.

Heart rate. This is a direct indicator of the effectiveness and intensity of aerobic exercise.

Many gyms now have calorie counters on their equipment, but these counters often differ significantly from the actual calories burned, and there is no constant ratio between calorie expenditure and fat loss.

Furthermore, the breakdown and metabolism of fat involves a series of complex biochemical reactions, while heart rate directly reflects the excitability of the sympathetic nervous system.

Sympathetic nerve excitation can promote the secretion of a series of lipolytic hormones, which in turn activate lipases, causing fat stored in fat cells to break down into free fatty acids and glycerol.

Fatty acids decompose into carbon dioxide and water under sufficient oxygen supply, releasing a large amount of energy.

So, what heart rate (number of heartbeats per minute) should you reach during exercise to effectively lose weight? It should generally be in the range of 60% to 75% of your maximum heart rate (220 - your age).

For example, a 30-year-old person's maximum heart rate is 220-30=190, 190×60%=114, 190×75%=145. That is, only exercise with a heart rate between 114 and 145 can effectively and safely lose weight.

Since maximum heart rate is an estimated value of the heart rate limit based on physiological conditions, the actual heart rate will vary from person to person.

For beginners, it is usually sufficient to maintain a heart rate of 60% to 65% of their maximum heart rate.

If you disregard your own physical condition and blindly pursue a high heart rate, it will be detrimental to your health.

Time. According to research, muscle glycogen is the main energy source in the first 15 minutes of aerobic exercise, while fat energy supply only starts to start 15 to 20 minutes after exercise.

Therefore, it is generally required that aerobic exercise last for more than 30 minutes.

This raises a question: Is everyone physically capable of maintaining 65% of their maximum heart rate during light exercise for more than 30 minutes? Let's see what it means to exercise at 65% of your maximum heart rate for 30 minutes.

This heart rate is generally achieved during a woman's 800-meter medium-speed run and a man's 1500-meter medium-speed run.

In other words, to maintain 65% of your maximum heart rate during 30 minutes of aerobic exercise, you must run 6000 to 8000 meters at a moderate pace.

I believe that the vast majority of people do not possess such physical abilities.

Forcing yourself to maintain this intensity and duration of aerobic exercise will cause muscle fatigue or injury.

Therefore, do not simply use research results as the basis for aerobic exercise prescriptions, because research results are only statistical average estimates.

Whether muscle glycogen can only provide energy for 15 minutes depends on each person's muscle glycogen reserves.

Fat metabolism for energy starts 15-20 minutes after aerobic exercise, which only reflects the biochemical reaction time of lipolysis for energy. This reaction time depends on each person's lipolysis hormone levels and a series of physiological conditions.

The duration of continuous exercise reflects the body's endurance level, but endurance cannot be improved in one or two sessions. Therefore, the duration of exercise should be gradually increased.

Of course, exercising for too short a time will not achieve the goal of weight loss, because only when the body consumes the energy produced by the oxidation of fatty acids can it further promote the breakdown of more fat and ultimately achieve the goal of weight loss.

So how do we resolve this contradiction? It is recommended that obese individuals with poor physical fitness adopt a combination of fast and slow exercise when starting aerobic training. Exercise at a high heart rate (high intensity) for a period of time, then switch to slow exercise (keeping the heart rate relatively fast) when feeling fatigued, and then switch back to high heart rate exercise when physical strength has recovered.

I do not recommend exercising when you are extremely tired, as it is detrimental to your health.

Exercising in this way for 45 minutes to 1 hour yields significant weight loss results, no less effective than continuous exercise.

Of course, the combination of fast and slow exercise is a transitional form; the ultimate goal is to be able to easily complete 30 minutes or more of high-intensity aerobic exercise.

This not only helps you lose weight, but also greatly improves your endurance and cardiopulmonary function.

Oxygen. Fatty acids can only decompose into carbon dioxide and water, releasing a large amount of energy, under conditions of sufficient oxygen supply.

Therefore, oxygen is the key to fat loss during aerobic exercise.

This requires ensuring sufficient oxygen intake during exercise. How can this be achieved? Simply maintaining deep breathing during exercise is not enough, because the amount of oxygen inhaled does not always correspond to the amount of air inhaled. This can only be achieved in places with fresh outdoor air.

Choose a sport. There are 5 sports to choose from.

① Various aerobic exercises. People with poor physical fitness should not use aerobic exercises to lose weight.

Because simple movements don't reach the required heart rate, while more complex movements require a high level of strength, flexibility, and agility, which most people cannot do.

Improper movements will not only be ineffective, but may also easily cause injuries.

② Swimming. A great way to lose weight and a great full-body workout, it's very effective at improving cardiovascular function.

Don't focus on speed when swimming; just reach your heart rate target.

Those who cannot swim can use water running as an alternative.

③ Cycling. Cycling in the gym can easily lead to oxygen deficiency; it's best to ride a mountain bike outdoors.

④ Running or brisk walking. Running in a beautiful outdoor environment is better; otherwise, you can run on a treadmill.

Running with your hands off the treadmill can increase oxygen utilization by 8% and heart rate by 5%.

Increasing the incline of the treadmill can also improve weight loss results.

Walking at a slightly faster pace (5 km/h) for an hour can burn nearly 300 calories, making it a very effective form of exercise.

If you stick to it every day, you can not only lose weight, but also build up a good foundation of physical strength.

⑤ Jumping rope. Jumping rope can increase heart rate and breathing rate within minutes, and can reduce weight in a short period of time, making it an excellent aerobic exercise.

Professional boxers often use jump rope as their primary method for pre-match fat loss, and it can also improve overall coordination and agility.

Exercise frequency. Beginners should only train twice a week to allow sufficient recovery time.

An effective aerobic workout can alter the biochemical reactions in your body, allowing your body to adapt to the new metabolic rhythm during rest.

After one month, you can increase the frequency to 3 times a week, or at most 4 times a week, depending on the situation. There is no need to practice every day.

After reading the above, you will be able to create your own aerobic exercise prescription.

Choose one or more of your favorite and feasible exercises, maintain an effective heart rate and duration during exercise, progress gradually, and persevere. Aerobic weight loss will then become simple and effective.

Of course, aerobic exercise is just the beginning if you want to be fit and healthy.