The Importance of Exercise in Health and Weight Loss

A Few Words About Exercise

Regular physical activity is a key point for maintaining our good health.

It is undeniable that regular exercise offers countless benefits beyond enhancing our physical fitness, as through it we strengthen both our physical and mental health.

From strengthening our cardiovascular system to improving our mood, the benefits of regular physical activity are numerous and significant.

Also, several studies highlight the beneficial role of systematic exercise, always within the context of a healthy and balanced diet, in managing our body weight.

We should emphasize from the outset that by the term exercise we do not refer exclusively to organized exercise, but to any activity we do during the day that involves movement.

This can include both activities we perform daily such as house and garden maintenance and cleaning, commuting, carrying loads, etc., as well as hobby activities like dancing, swimming, cycling, etc.

What Are the Health Benefits of Exercise?

By exercise, we refer to any movement that mobilizes our muscles and leads to energy consumption or simply calorie burning.

Being physically active has been proven to have multiple benefits for our health, both physical and mental. Some of the health benefits of exercise are:

Improves cardiovascular health

Lack of physical activity is a key risk factor for the development of cardiovascular diseases.

These diseases are characterized by the presence of atherosclerotic plaques in the vessels – with consequent narrowing and obstruction of normal blood circulation – resulting in the manifestation of cardiovascular diseases, such as coronary heart disease, strokes, etc.

Exercise, especially aerobic exercise such as walking, running, swimming, and cycling, strengthens our cardiovascular system, as it contributes to better functioning of the heart muscle and simultaneously has a beneficial role in cardiovascular risk factors.

Specifically, exercise improves arterial pressure and lipid profile, reducing triglyceride levels and increasing levels of “good” cholesterol (HDL-C).¹

Improves the Musculoskeletal System

Exercise is an important factor for good muscle function, as it contributes to increasing muscle mass and strength.

This is particularly important because as people age, they tend to lose muscle mass and functionality, which can lead to an increased risk of injuries.

Regular physical activity can prevent the loss of muscle mass and maintain strength as we age.

Also, regular physical activity helps both in bone development and in preventing age-related bone mass loss.²

Contributes to Managing Diabetes

Physical activity is important for regulating blood sugar.³

Good glycemic control is essential for preventing the onset of disease complications as long-term elevation of blood glucose levels can have serious effects on many organs of the body, leading to the occurrence of cardiovascular events, diabetic nephropathy, retinopathy, etc.

During exercise, muscles consume glucose to produce energy, reducing blood glucose levels.

Also, when we exercise, our cells become more sensitive to the action of insulin, which is the main hormone regulating blood sugar levels, further contributing to lowering blood sugar levels and improving glycemic control.

Contributes to Body Weight Management

Physical inactivity is a key risk factor for the development of obesity.

Regular physical activity appears to contribute to maintaining a healthy body weight and simultaneously helps prevent regaining lost body weight.

90% of individuals who have managed not to regain lost weight show high levels of physical activity (exercising at least 1 hour/day). ⁴

Therefore, physical activity is a “key” point for successfully maintaining lost weight.

Exercise, in addition to the significant health benefits it can offer you, combined with other lifestyle changes, will help you maintain your new weight, as it will increase your energy expenditure (i.e., your “calorie burn”).

By staying active, we increase our energy expenditure and therefore it’s easier to maintain an energy balance and not lead to regaining lost weight.

Helps with Sleep

Regular physical activity can have a positive effect on the quality and duration of our sleep.

Improves Mental Mood

Regular exercise improves our mood and reduces feelings of anxiety and stress.⁵

Regular exercise leads to the release of substances in the brain that “boost” mood, which are called endorphins.

These have a similar effect to morphine, but much milder. In fact, their name (endo = endogenous, -rphins = morphines) was given due to their similar action to morphines.

Systematic exercise leads to increased production of endorphins and consequently to improved mood.

Can exercise contribute to weight loss?

When the goal is weight loss, the first thing most people think of is to start a diet, often accompanied by the grand announcement “I’m starting a diet tomorrow”.

On the other hand, another percentage of people follow a different tactic, with exercise as the protagonist, meaning they start exercising regularly with the goal of losing excess weight.

However, although many turn to exercise, it’s surprising that it doesn’t seem to be an effective method for body weight loss when not accompanied by dietary modifications.⁶

This means that exercise, when used as the only intervention, is not a means of weight loss.

Why doesn’t exercise alone contribute to weight loss?

A primary goal in weight loss efforts is to create a caloric deficit, meaning the total energy expenditure should be higher than the total energy intake.

Our body, that is, should “burn” more calories than it receives, which we can accurately calculate with metabolism measurement.

A basic component of total daily energy expenditure is energy expenditure due to physical activity. This includes the calories our body burns when we move or exercise.

Therefore, one would expect that by increasing physical activity during the day, without changing our energy intake, we would have greater “burns” creating a negative energy balance.

However, it’s not so easy and sustainable to create a calorie deficit only through exercise if we consider that in 1 hour of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise we can burn up to 300 calories, on average.

On the other hand, with a weight loss program, it’s possible to more easily create a caloric deficit of 300-500 calories.

And of course, we shouldn’t forget that not all calories are equal – meaning what we eat can significantly affect our energy expenditure.

Also, exercise can sabotage weight loss efforts without us realizing it. Studies have shown that after exercise, volunteers increased their food intake, either because they generally overestimated energy expenditure during exercise, or because they felt a stronger sense of hunger.

Consequently, successful weight loss doesn’t depend on exercise exclusively, as numerous studies have confirmed that for successful achievement of negative energy balance, the most effective tactic combines diet, exercise, and behavioral changes.

Successful weight loss largely depends on the diet and diet plan followed.

Reducing energy intake, that is, the total calories consumed throughout the day, through a personalized diet plan is necessary to achieve the desired goal.

It’s always good to consult experts to design a personalized nutrition plan that will meet your goals.

So, doesn’t exercise help with weight loss?

The benefits of exercise for general health and well-being are numerous.

What seems from the studies is that if you want to lose weight, exercise alone won’t give you the solution. However, this doesn’t negate the importance of exercise as part of a diet plan for weight loss.

The ideal solution is the combination of proper nutrition with appropriate exercise.

This is because:

• By increasing physical activity, we increase our energy consumption – that is, we burn more calories. This can help us achieve an energy deficit, which is necessary for weight loss.

• Exercise, especially resistance exercise, is essential for improving body composition. It can help us maintain muscle mass and have greater fat loss during a period of weight loss.

Conclusion

Enhancing physical activity is essential for good health.

Regular exercise has been recognized as one of the most effective ways to enhance both our physical and mental health.

Through physical activity, among other things, we strengthen the cardiovascular system, the musculoskeletal system, and our overall physical condition. Moreover, exercise has a positive effect on sleep quality and our psychological state, helping to reduce stress and tension.

Regarding weight loss, exercise alone doesn’t seem to be the right method to lose weight. Ideally, the combination of proper nutrition and exercise is what will give you the best results.

Bibliography

1. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Benefits. Available at: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/heart/physical-activity/benefits. (Accessed at March 2024).

2. Zhang S, Huang X, Zhao X, Li B, Cai Y, Liang X, Wan O. Effect of exercise on bone mineral density among patients with osteoporosis and osteopenia: A systematic review and network meta-analysis. J Clin Nurs. 2022, 31(15-16):2100-2111. doi: 10.1111/jocn.16101. Epub 2021 Nov 1.

3. Kumar A, Maiya A, Shastry B, Vaishali K, Ravishankar N, Hazari A, Gundmi S, Jadhav R. Exercise and insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes mellitus: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Ann Phys Rehabil Med. 2019, 62(2):98-103. doi: 10.1016/j.rehab.2018.11.001. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

4. Stubbs J, Whybrow S, Teixeira P, Blundell J, Lawton C, Westenhoefer J, Engel D, Shepherd R, McConnon A, Gilbert P, Raats M. Problems in identifying predictors and correlates of weight loss and maintenance: implications for weight control therapies based on behaviour change. Obes Rev. 2011, 12(9):688-708. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-789X.2011.00883.x. Epub 2011 Apr 27.

5. Chan J, Liu G, Liang D, Deng K, Wu J, Yan J. Special Issue – Therapeutic Benefits of Physical Activity for Mood: A Systematic Review on the Effects of Exercise Intensity, Duration, and Modality. J Psychol. 2019, 153(1):102-125. doi: 10.1080/00223980.2018.1470487.

6. Role of Physical Activity for Weight Loss and Weight Maintenance. Diabetes Spectr. 2017 Aug; 30(3): 157–160. doi: 10.2337/ds17-0013.