Article 41: The Long-Term Battle and a Good Mindset for Weight Loss Through Exercise

The principle behind exercise for weight loss lies in the body's expenditure of energy exceeding its intake of nutrients; exercise is the first and most crucial step. Generally speaking, it takes about 20 minutes of exercise for the body to gradually begin burning fat. Therefore, each exercise session should last at least half an hour. Ideally, this should be done daily. If that's difficult, aim for at least three exercise sessions per week.

Some people give up after exercising a few times because they don't see any weight loss. All that effort is wasted. Losing weight through exercise is a long-term battle. You need to persist for at least two months to see noticeable results. Very few people experience a sudden drop in weight after exercise; this is due to increased sweating. Some people try to lose weight quickly by sweating more and drinking less water, which is very unscientific, as water is essential for the human body.

Exercise is divided into aerobic exercise and anaerobic exercise. For us, aerobic exercise is sufficient. Aerobic exercise refers to the body being in an aerobic metabolic state during exercise; simple bodily responses include normal breathing and no headache.

The best exercises in the initial stages are running and aerobics. These two types of exercise are easy to control in terms of intensity, provide a full-body workout, improve cardiovascular function, and enhance coordination. Later, you can introduce targeted exercises such as barbell and dumbbell exercises. It is especially important to have a training partner when doing barbell exercises, as this can be dangerous.

In the first few weeks, we don't know how to control exercise intensity, which is when we need a heart rate monitor. Using it, you can know whether your exercise intensity is insufficient or excessive. During exercise, the heart rate should ideally be between 60% and 75% of your maximum heart rate (maximum heart rate is 220 minus your age).

Some people, after exercising for a period of time, think they can adapt to high-intensity training and blindly increase the intensity of their exercise, causing their heart rate to exceed 75% of their maximum heart rate. Such exercise is harmful to health.

Some women complain that after exercising for a period of time, they lose excess fat, but their muscles also become bulky. What they desire is a slim yet voluptuous figure, which is because their exercise intensity is too high.

To avoid muscle growth, ordinary people trying to lose weight should pay attention to controlling the intensity of their exercise. Low-intensity, long-duration exercise will burn a lot of fat without stimulating muscle growth, and it is also easier to stick to.

Some people become obese due to endocrine disorders. People generally believe that no matter how much they exercise or diet, they will not be able to lose weight. In fact, endocrine disorders only make the body more prone to accumulating fat. You can still effectively burn fat through exercise, but you will have to put in more effort than others.

Maintaining a good mood is also crucial during the exercise and weight loss process. If you are always feeling frustrated and anxious, your weight loss plan will never be completed because you will never be able to stick to it.

You should tell yourself that with every muscle movement, you'll burn a few grams of that annoying fat, while your endurance and energy will increase. To maintain your interest in exercise, try to vary your workouts whenever possible. Also, encourage your partner or friends to exercise together; studies show that couples are more interested and efficient when doing things together.

To maintain confidence, it's best not to weigh yourself every day. If you want to check the results of your weight loss, you can frequently pinch your muscles to see if they've become firmer. When your heart is filled with hope and joy, fatigue and boredom will never find you.

After doing the above three things and sticking to them for six months, you will be pleasantly surprised to find that it is difficult to gain weight again, because exercise has become a hobby, stopping it will make you feel uncomfortable all over, and your stomach has also gotten used to the correct way of eating, and it will protest if you overeat.

Many people say that exercising to lose weight will only make you fatter, so they always doubt whether exercise can help you lose weight. In fact, exercise is one of the most effective ways to lose weight; the key is to control the amount and type of exercise.

(1) Avoid strenuous exercise: Strenuous exercise is ineffective and not beneficial for weight loss. For example, running on a treadmill, lifting barbells, playing soccer, and all kinds of jumping and leaping involve short exercise time and high exercise volume, which greatly increases the body's consumption. A large proportion of this consumption is sugar and water, which can easily cause thirst and lead to an uncontrollable increase in food intake.

These types of exercises are also difficult to maintain. When the heart rate exceeds 160 beats per minute, the resulting fatigue often causes people to give up. The result of stopping and starting is, of course, ineffective weight loss. Even if one really grits their teeth and perseveres, they usually end up with extremely full and powerful muscles, which is far removed from the traditional slender and graceful beauty of Eastern women.

Controlling the amount of exercise for obese individuals is crucial. Insufficient exercise will not achieve the goal of weight loss; excessive exercise can cause adverse reactions or even side effects, seriously endangering health.

Since oxygen consumption is directly proportional to heart rate, the appropriate amount of exercise can be selected based on the level of fatigue and pulse rate after activity. Ideally, the pulse rate during activity should be 120-130 beats per minute, and fatigue should gradually disappear within 10-20 minutes after activity.

Method for measuring pulse: Immediately after stopping exercise, measure your pulse for 10 seconds, then multiply by 6. The resulting value is your pulse rate one minute after exercise. Generally, for moderate-intensity exercise, the heart rate should be 110-130 beats per minute, and for low-intensity exercise, it should be 85-105 beats per minute. Exercise intensity should be increased gradually, avoiding overexertion.

Self-monitoring of medical conditions is necessary during exercise. If adverse reactions occur, reduce the amount of exercise or even stop exercising altogether, and consult a doctor to determine whether to continue exercising or readjust the amount of exercise.

(2) Persist in aerobic exercise: Chronic exercise is aerobic exercise, characterized by low intensity, rhythm, and difficulty in interruption. It is beneficial for reducing the number and volume of subcutaneous fat and is suitable for digestion and circulation. Examples include walking, cycling, jogging, swimming, and Tai Chi.

Sufficient oxygen is required, and outdoor exercise is best; the duration must be 30-60 minutes, with a heart rate below 150 beats per minute. Times to avoid exercising include: when hungry, before meals, and before bedtime.

(3) The best time to exercise is between 7 and 8 pm. In addition, you can also exercise at home, such as squatting and skipping rope.

In summary, the principle of exercise for weight loss is to consistently engage in aerobic exercise at least twice a week. Short-term exercise will not produce noticeable results; you must be determined, persevere in your training, and continue until you achieve your goal of healthy weight loss.

Obesity is generally defined as being more than 20% over the ideal weight. Besides family genetic factors, obesity is often closely related to individual eating and lifestyle habits. If a person eats too much or exercises too little, the body absorbs more calories than it burns, leading to weight gain. This type of obesity, caused by an excess of calories absorbed compared to calories burned, is called simple obesity.

The vast majority of obese men and women fall into this category, especially middle-aged women, who are more prone to simple obesity due to factors such as endocrine changes. A small number of people develop obesity due to endocrine disorders or other diseases; this is called secondary obesity. Patients with secondary obesity should consult a doctor for examination and treatment promptly.

In people with simple obesity, the body's energy balance is disrupted, and excess energy is converted into fat and stored under the skin and around the internal organs. In women, the fat tends to accumulate in the breasts, abdomen, buttocks, and thighs.

In people with simple obesity, the accumulation of fat increases the inertia of various parts of the body. Because fat cannot contract with muscles, it creates frictional resistance, which hinders the contraction speed of muscle fibers and affects the flexibility and coordination of the entire body.

In addition to being prone to fatigue, shortness of breath, inability to perform heavy physical labor, low immunity, and poor body shape, it can also easily lead to a series of diseases such as diabetes, gallstones, arteriosclerosis, hypertension, and heart disease.

Some people try to lose weight by taking medication, sleeping less, or dieting. However, because fat generates much more energy than protein, the main component of muscle, the process of burning fat is much slower than burning protein.

Simply relying on dieting or medication to lose weight will result in a reduction of both fat and muscle. Furthermore, the body's cells will become less active due to nutritional deficiencies caused by dieting, lowering the metabolic rate and ultimately worsening overall health.

The number of fat cells in the human body is largely determined by genetics; it's just that fat cells in obese people are larger. Through bodybuilding exercises and other aerobic activities, the utilization rate of glucose in the blood can be improved, preventing excess sugar from being converted into fat. Furthermore, metabolic function can be regulated, promoting the conversion of fat into energy and shrinking the size of enlarged fat cells, thus transforming an overweight physique into a fit and slender one.

Obese men and women should not engage in excessively intense bodybuilding training; their heart rate should not exceed 160 beats per minute. Otherwise, insufficient oxygen supply will cause the body to switch from fat to glucose for energy, thus failing to achieve the goal of fat loss.

Bodybuilding workouts should not be too short; each session should last at least one hour continuously. Effective fat burning is a complex energy conversion process, and short workouts limit its effectiveness. Therefore, low-intensity, long-duration exercises are generally best for fat loss.

It's essential to maintain a daily exercise routine, but the intensity should be gradually increased. Avoid arbitrarily increasing exercise intensity simply to lose weight, as this can harm your health. Observations show that slow weight loss is easier to maintain; rapid weight loss is neither easy to maintain nor conducive to disrupting the body's metabolic balance, which is detrimental to health. Generally speaking, a weight loss of 0.5 to 1 kilogram per week is ideal.

Bodybuilding exercises burn calories, and when combined with a scientific diet, calorie intake can be further reduced. The combination of the two can better achieve the goals of reducing fat, increasing muscle, improving physical fitness, and improving body shape.

Obese elderly people must do the following before exercising:

(1) A physical examination should be conducted first: It is best to have a detailed physical examination at the hospital before exercising to find out if there are any serious diseases and to obtain the doctor's guidance. If you are in good physical condition, do 10 to 20 consecutive squats or run in place for 15 seconds to see if you have any discomfort such as shortness of breath or chest tightness. If not, you can start exercising.

(2) Accompaniment is required: Generally, one should not go out alone, but should be accompanied by someone, and should carry emergency medicine with them to prevent coronary heart disease.

(3) The amount of exercise should be determined according to one’s physical condition: exercise should gradually transition from stillness to movement and from movement to stillness, and warm-up exercises should be done before starting.

(4) The following methods can be used to determine the appropriate amount of exercise: If you feel warm and slightly sweaty during exercise, and feel relaxed and comfortable after exercise, and sleep better than before, it means that the exercise is appropriate and has achieved the purpose of consuming energy, with good results. If you feel dizzy, chest tightness, palpitations, or precordial pain, shortness of breath, loss of appetite, poor sleep, or obvious fatigue after exercise, it means that you have exercised too much and must reduce the amount of exercise to prevent accidents.

(5) Choose a sport that suits your physical condition: Choose a sport that allows all joints and muscles to move, and exercise rhythmically. Avoid strenuous activities that are too intense or too fast. You can choose to exercise in a way that suits you, such as walking, jogging, Tai Chi, gymnastics, aerobics, or health massage.

Exercise requires consistency and long-term adherence to achieve weight loss results.

Aerobic exercise refers to the breakdown of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins into carbon dioxide and water with the participation of oxygen, releasing a large amount of energy. This energy is used to synthesize adenosine diphosphate (ADP) into adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is then broken down to provide energy for life activities. Because fat metabolism is aerobic, aerobic exercise is essential for weight loss.

The conditions for aerobic exercise are: ① Sufficient oxygen is available for the exercise. ② Exercise time is 30-60 minutes. ③ Effective heart rate is less than 150 beats/minute.

Aerobic exercise can improve cardiovascular function, increase cardiac output and pulmonary ventilation, enhance the body's tolerance to lactic acid, improve physical fitness, and promote health.

Aerobic exercise provides the body's muscles with ten times more oxygen than usual, thereby increasing the amount of protein in the blood, ensuring an adequate supply of nutrients to the whole body, increasing the number of immune cells, promoting metabolism, and promptly eliminating carcinogens, harmful substances, and toxins from the body. This reduces the number of carcinogenic and pathogenic factors in the body and ensures good health.

Aerobic exercise can significantly improve the function of the cerebral cortex and cardiopulmonary system, promote the vitality of the peripheral nervous system, and increase the amount of anti-aging substances in the body. It delays the aging and degeneration of the physiological functions of muscles, heart, and other organs, thereby slowing down the aging process of body tissues.

Aerobic exercise can improve the body's endurance and develop the exerciser's flexibility, strength and other physical qualities.

Since the main purpose of popular fitness exercises is to achieve weight loss, body shaping, fitness, leisure, and entertainment, and to provide a relaxed and pleasant feeling before and after practice, the intensity of these exercises is low to moderate, making them a typical form of aerobic exercise. During practice, one can break a sweat, relieve psychological stress, maintain a positive mindset, and enjoy excellent weight loss benefits.

Appropriately increasing light weight training will enhance weight loss results, as light weight training can help break down fat. The key to weight loss is gradual progress, perseverance, and consistency. Consistency in dietary control is also crucial; one cannot rush the process. Obesity can lead to a loss of beauty and attractiveness, and can also cause various diseases; therefore, weight loss is necessary.