Should You Exercise? It's not needed for weight loss, but here's why you probably should............
ninerbuff
Posts: 49,050 Member
Weight loss is about calorie deficit. Whether one exercises or not, if they are in calorie deficit, barring any health issues weight loss should occur.
So if exercise isn't needed for weight loss, then why bother doing it? Well here's few reasons:
Retaining and conditioning current muscle- when weight loss occurs, both fat and muscle mass are reduced. To what extent will depend on the type of exercising and what body parts one is exercising and protein consumption. Resistance training alone will deter the body from reducing lean body mass and also "hardens" the muscle as long as the resistance is sufficient enough.
Help to "thicken" your bones- by this I mean it increases the density. Thicker bones mean less chances of getting a fracture. It's highly encouraged to seniors to exercise for this reason alone since lots of inactive seniors who fall have a high incidence of fractures to their wrists, hips, legs and ankles.
Enhance your current shape- genetically your shape is set. You can't "lengthen" nor build "long lean" muscles since they are already anchored in place by tendons. You can however enhance your shape by adding lean muscle to places like your arms, legs, shoulders, chest, glutes, etc. Of course calories will also play into this, but point is that exercise is needed to achieve it.
Increased metabolic rate- pretty obvious that people who exercise consistently, usually have higher metabolic rates than their sedentary counterparts.
Maintenance- by far most people who retain a normal weight and are somewhat physically fit involve some sort of exercise in their daily life. It's their way of maintaining regular eating and health.
Helps your brain- studies show that people who are more physically active, supply more oxygen to the brain. This can help with brain memory, dopamine production (happy), and also focus.
So you don't need to exercise, but you probably should anyway.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
So if exercise isn't needed for weight loss, then why bother doing it? Well here's few reasons:
Retaining and conditioning current muscle- when weight loss occurs, both fat and muscle mass are reduced. To what extent will depend on the type of exercising and what body parts one is exercising and protein consumption. Resistance training alone will deter the body from reducing lean body mass and also "hardens" the muscle as long as the resistance is sufficient enough.
Help to "thicken" your bones- by this I mean it increases the density. Thicker bones mean less chances of getting a fracture. It's highly encouraged to seniors to exercise for this reason alone since lots of inactive seniors who fall have a high incidence of fractures to their wrists, hips, legs and ankles.
Enhance your current shape- genetically your shape is set. You can't "lengthen" nor build "long lean" muscles since they are already anchored in place by tendons. You can however enhance your shape by adding lean muscle to places like your arms, legs, shoulders, chest, glutes, etc. Of course calories will also play into this, but point is that exercise is needed to achieve it.
Increased metabolic rate- pretty obvious that people who exercise consistently, usually have higher metabolic rates than their sedentary counterparts.
Maintenance- by far most people who retain a normal weight and are somewhat physically fit involve some sort of exercise in their daily life. It's their way of maintaining regular eating and health.
Helps your brain- studies show that people who are more physically active, supply more oxygen to the brain. This can help with brain memory, dopamine production (happy), and also focus.
So you don't need to exercise, but you probably should anyway.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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Replies
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Plus, it's fun!
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Great points! I always feel better after I workout. I may not enjoy the workout during it, but I never regretted completing a workout either
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Great post on the benefits of exercise. Finding an activity that I enjoyed doing made a world of difference.
Thanks.0 -
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smotheredincheese wrote: »
It's true. Your muscles pull on your bones, which stimulates the bones to make more of themselves.
I despise lifting weights and almost all resistance-type stuff (it's so boring!), but it's really good for you.0 -
Help to "thicken" your bones- by this I mean it increases the density. Thicker bones mean less chances of getting a fracture. It's highly encouraged to seniors to exercise for this reason alone since lots of inactive seniors who fall have a high incidence of fractures to their wrists, hips, legs and ankles.
I just want to add a qualifier: this is true of weight training and higher impact cardio. It's not necessarily true of lower impact aerobic exercise, even very intense exercise. Cycling is a good example: one study showed that trained male road cyclists had lower bone density than recreational male cyclists. Another study showed that professional women cyclists lost bone density over the course of a year. Both studies were small, but they confirm what a 2012 review of the literature concluded.
One review which I don't have access to, just the abstract, and therefore didn't link to, suggested that even serious runners don't necessarily have higher bone densities than sedentary people. On the other hand, one study found that premenopausal women receive modest bone density increases from running. The research seems less compelling than it does for cycling.
As someone who does a lot of cycling, this research convinced me that I should do more weight training.0 -
What would interest me in the the study is the nutritional values of the cyclists in the tests. I believe that endurance athletes MAY have issue with lower bone density maybe due to reduction or inadequate calcium replacement?Help to "thicken" your bones- by this I mean it increases the density. Thicker bones mean less chances of getting a fracture. It's highly encouraged to seniors to exercise for this reason alone since lots of inactive seniors who fall have a high incidence of fractures to their wrists, hips, legs and ankles.
I just want to add a qualifier: this is true of weight training and higher impact cardio. It's not necessarily true of lower impact aerobic exercise, even very intense exercise. Cycling is a good example: one study showed that trained male road cyclists had lower bone density than recreational male cyclists. Another study showed that professional women cyclists lost bone density over the course of a year. Both studies were small, but they confirm what a 2012 review of the literature concluded.
One review which I don't have access to, just the abstract, and therefore didn't link to, suggested that even serious runners don't necessarily have higher bone densities than sedentary people. On the other hand, one study found that premenopausal women receive modest bone density increases from running. The research seems less compelling than it does for cycling.
As someone who does a lot of cycling, this research convinced me that I should do more weight training.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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Great thread !0
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Increased metabolic rate- pretty obvious that people who exercise consistently, usually have higher metabolic rates than their sedentary counterparts.
Seems obvious, but might not be true.
Here's one study:
http://www.researchgate.net/publication/12813582_Influence_of_exercise_training_on_physiological_and_performance_changes_with_weight_loss_in_men
[D = diet only, DE = diet + aerobic exercise, DES = diet + aerobic + strength training]
RMR expressed in absolute terms (kcal·d-1) declined for the D, DE, and DES groups (-3.8%, -6.4%, and -7.0%, respectively). However, RMR expressed in relative terms, either kcal·kg FFM-1·d-1 or kcal·kg BM-1·d-1, was not significantly altered in any of the dietary groups. Thus, when the changes in body mass are accounted for, all dietary intervention groups prevented the normal decline in RMR typically observed with dietary energy restriction (24). We regressed RMR across fat-free mass because of potential errors in interpreting RMR expressed as kcal·kg FFM-1·d-1 (28). Interestingly, the lowest correlations between fat-free mass and RMR were observed in the DES. The change in fat-free mass was not significantly correlated with the change in RMR which is in agreement with the findings of a meta-analysis on the effects of diet and exercise on metabolic rate (33). Contrary to our hypothesis, the exercise groups demonstrated similar responses in RMR compared with the diet-only group. Geliebter et al. (10) also reported no advantage of either endurance or strength training over dieting alone on RMR in a group of subjects that lost very similar amounts of body mass to subjects in the present study. In the present study RMR in the D, DE, and DES groups declined by -80, -136, -122 kcal·d-1, respectively, compared with a decline of -88, -149, and -127 kcal·d-1 reported by Geliebter et al. (10). Thus, although strength training prevents the normal loss in FFM during dieting, the decline in RMR is not prevented.0 -
Plus chics dig big biceps and flat abs
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Thanks for the study. I've researched on this before, and there are lots of studies showing that metabolic rate increase with endurance exercise may not differ at all, so I know there's truth to what you're posting. However, there are obvious physical reactions to the body that happen when exercise is instituted to a person who wasn't formerly training before or after a long layoff. Compensation in terms of usage of glycogen, muscle break down and rebuild, etc. If there is no increase in metabolism at all in these instances, then what is happening?Increased metabolic rate- pretty obvious that people who exercise consistently, usually have higher metabolic rates than their sedentary counterparts.
Seems obvious, but might not be true.
Here's one study:
http://www.researchgate.net/publication/12813582_Influence_of_exercise_training_on_physiological_and_performance_changes_with_weight_loss_in_men
[D = diet only, DE = diet + aerobic exercise, DES = diet + aerobic + strength training]
RMR expressed in absolute terms (kcal·d-1) declined for the D, DE, and DES groups (-3.8%, -6.4%, and -7.0%, respectively). However, RMR expressed in relative terms, either kcal·kg FFM-1·d-1 or kcal·kg BM-1·d-1, was not significantly altered in any of the dietary groups. Thus, when the changes in body mass are accounted for, all dietary intervention groups prevented the normal decline in RMR typically observed with dietary energy restriction (24). We regressed RMR across fat-free mass because of potential errors in interpreting RMR expressed as kcal·kg FFM-1·d-1 (28). Interestingly, the lowest correlations between fat-free mass and RMR were observed in the DES. The change in fat-free mass was not significantly correlated with the change in RMR which is in agreement with the findings of a meta-analysis on the effects of diet and exercise on metabolic rate (33). Contrary to our hypothesis, the exercise groups demonstrated similar responses in RMR compared with the diet-only group. Geliebter et al. (10) also reported no advantage of either endurance or strength training over dieting alone on RMR in a group of subjects that lost very similar amounts of body mass to subjects in the present study. In the present study RMR in the D, DE, and DES groups declined by -80, -136, -122 kcal·d-1, respectively, compared with a decline of -88, -149, and -127 kcal·d-1 reported by Geliebter et al. (10). Thus, although strength training prevents the normal loss in FFM during dieting, the decline in RMR is not prevented.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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If there is no increase in metabolism at all in these instances, then what is happening?
I don't know the mechanisms, but I would guess that increased fitness = increased efficiency.
Obviously losing weight makes us more efficient and lowers RMR, but probably so does increased vasculature and up-regulated enzymes, for example.
The body adapts to get stuff done more efficiently.
I still exercise for increased strength, increased endurance, and to look good naked, though. 0 -
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Well metabolism is defined as:If there is no increase in metabolism at all in these instances, then what is happening?
I don't know the mechanisms, but I would guess that increased fitness = increased efficiency.
Obviously losing weight makes us more efficient and lowers RMR, but probably so does increased vasculature and up-regulated enzymes, for example.
The body adapts to get stuff done more efficiently.
I still exercise for increased strength, increased endurance, and to look good naked, though.
noun
1.
Biology, Physiology. the sum of the physical and chemical processes in an organism by which its material substance is produced, maintained, and destroyed, and by which energy is made available.
Compare anabolism, catabolism.
So going from sedentary to physically fit should obviously be viewed as an increase of physical and chemical processes occurring.
But I agree that exercise makes the biggest difference in all you stated above, which is why I still do it and teach it.
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Let's take an easy example. We know that exercise lowers the heart rate and blood pressure, right? That means the heart is working LESS hard = lower RMR. Increased vasculature (a response to exercise) makes it EASIER to move nutrients to tissues.
So, the heart gives us one example of a tissue that requires less metabolic activity.0 -
Agreed. Let's look at recomp. Progressive overload training, but only eating at maintenance. While slow, body composition of lean mass vs fat mass can change (with increased lean mass and less fat mass) at the same weight. Adding lean muscle increases metabolic rate.Let's take an easy example. We know that exercise lowers the heart rate and blood pressure, right? That means the heart is working LESS hard = lower RMR. Increased vasculature (a response to exercise) makes it EASIER to move nutrients to tissues.
So, the heart gives us one example of a tissue that requires less metabolic activity.
For correct information though, I may have to edit the statement on "obvious" increased metabolism while adding exercise. I do have to acknowledge that with weight loss, metabolic rate reduces even with exercise added.
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The training effects you're describing affect skeletal muscle, but that's a relatively small part of metabolism. Here's a rough breakdown by organ:
Liver 27%
Brain 19%
Skeletal Muscle 18%
Kidneys 10%
Heart 7%
Other Organs 19%
So maybe the metabolic rate does go up for 18% of tissue, goes down for 32%, and stays the same for 50%. (Just making up numbers here, but you can see how overall RMR might go down even with more muscle mass.)0 -
Correct, however all of the above are affected when an exercise regimen is instituted to a higher degree versus one where one was more sedentary previously. It's an oddity for sure. Personally, I'm going to examine the research more since you've peaked my curiosity as to why some studies reveal and actual reduction in RMR even with increase in exercise.The training effects you're describing affect skeletal muscle, but that's a relatively small part of metabolism. Here's a rough breakdown by organ:
Liver 27%
Brain 19%
Skeletal Muscle 18%
Kidneys 10%
Heart 7%
Other Organs 19%
So maybe the metabolic rate does go up for 18% of tissue, goes down for 32%, and stays the same for 50%. (Just making up numbers here, but you can see how overall RMR might go down even with more muscle mass.)
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All very sound points.
For you fellow researchy types - check out the digests in space and dive medicine - treasure trove of information, particularly space med.
Like all biological systems we are trained to be efficient - if a system is no longer required (e.g. bone density in low gravity), that system shuts down. So extended stays in zero gravity requires an intense resistance training program otherwise those individuals would have a long recovery when transitioning back to an environment with gravity.
I would be curious if a similar phenomenon is occurring the endurance bikers, but would think the resistance of pedaling would be more than sufficient.0 -
We also have to take into consideration the resistance of the weight of the individual when it comes to cycling. Obviously if a person who starts cycling loses weight while training, then the resistance is reduced if the speed, wind and terrain are consistent. Increase the weight and the resistance increases.All very sound points.
For you fellow researchy types - check out the digests in space and dive medicine - treasure trove of information, particularly space med.
Like all biological systems we are trained to be efficient - if a system is no longer required (e.g. bone density in low gravity), that system shuts down. So extended stays in zero gravity requires an intense resistance training program otherwise those individuals would have a long recovery when transitioning back to an environment with gravity.
I would be curious if a similar phenomenon is occurring the endurance bikers, but would think the resistance of pedaling would be more than sufficient.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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I do it mostly for the happiness factor. All the little stuff goes away.0
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Lots and lots of people feel great after lifting. And for many the results are reasons why they continue. It's one of the few things someone can do that they get 100% credit for.sadiebrawl wrote: »I do it mostly for the happiness factor. All the little stuff goes away.
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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Exercise is not needed for weight loss ... but it sure makes weight loss more enjoyable!
Instead of nibbling my way through my 1250 calories, and feeling hungry most of the time, I can knock back 1750 calories and burn 500 of those with exercise to net 1250 calories. 0 -
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It's my stress relief, after working 10 hours I get to run along the river edge dodging the swans and ducks and listen to the river whoosing past me. Heaven right there!
Add in the other benefits and it's a win win.0 -
Weight loss is about calorie deficit. Whether one exercises or not, if they are in calorie deficit, barring any health issues weight loss should occur.
So if exercise isn't needed for weight loss, then why bother doing it? Well here's few reasons:
Retaining and conditioning current muscle- when weight loss occurs, both fat and muscle mass are reduced. To what extent will depend on the type of exercising and what body parts one is exercising and protein consumption. Resistance training alone will deter the body from reducing lean body mass and also "hardens" the muscle as long as the resistance is sufficient enough.
Help to "thicken" your bones- by this I mean it increases the density. Thicker bones mean less chances of getting a fracture. It's highly encouraged to seniors to exercise for this reason alone since lots of inactive seniors who fall have a high incidence of fractures to their wrists, hips, legs and ankles.
Enhance your current shape- genetically your shape is set. You can't "lengthen" nor build "long lean" muscles since they are already anchored in place by tendons. You can however enhance your shape by adding lean muscle to places like your arms, legs, shoulders, chest, glutes, etc. Of course calories will also play into this, but point is that exercise is needed to achieve it.
Increased metabolic rate- pretty obvious that people who exercise consistently, usually have higher metabolic rates than their sedentary counterparts.
Maintenance- by far most people who retain a normal weight and are somewhat physically fit involve some sort of exercise in their daily life. It's their way of maintaining regular eating and health.
Helps your brain- studies show that people who are more physically active, supply more oxygen to the brain. This can help with brain memory, dopamine production (happy), and also focus.
So you don't need to exercise, but you probably should anyway.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
^Plus (they don't have a down arrow)
Research has shown that regular exercise has positive results in reducing and controlling most chronic illnesses.
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Exercise helps me control my eating & helps me manage stress. Don't always want to do it, then I just do it!! L0
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Our heart pumps more every time with less frequency. In the end, it pumped the same volume since the blood required is constant, I would think the work ended up being a constant. Unless heart became more efficient at utilizing the supplied energy, then sure, it used less energy. I would need to see a research paper on that.Let's take an easy example. We know that exercise lowers the heart rate and blood pressure, right? That means the heart is working LESS hard = lower RMR. Increased vasculature (a response to exercise) makes it EASIER to move nutrients to tissues.
So, the heart gives us one example of a tissue that requires less metabolic activity.
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Another great thing about exercise is that it's a daily regimen that once you've finished, you get a sense of accomplishment that day. Not many other things you put your heart into get done daily. IMO, this instills a positive outlook for most people that exercise consistently and possibly why they may be more disciplined in other aspects in life.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition 0
True dat
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