With the UK in an obesity epidemic, the NHS recommends doing some type of physical activity every day. Whether this is a short walk or a long run, the NHS explains that “any type of activity is good for you”.
“The energy you use, your total body expenditure, consists of different components.
“Firstly, your basal metabolic rate, this is how much energy your body needs to function at rest and perform life-sustaining actions like breathing and keeping your heart pumping.
“Secondly, your body uses a small amount of energy to digest, this is the thermic effect of food.
“Finally, your body uses energy for movement, movement during exercise and during any other activity that is not exercising, your activities of daily life.”
“This can be done by reducing your energy or food intake, often referred to as dieting.
“Or it can be done by increasing your energy output with exercise.
“Regular exercise allows you to create the calorie deficit needed for weight loss and you can combine both exercise with dieting, to maximise your calorie deficit and increase weight loss.”
But what form of exercise should you be doing on a regular basis?
According to the expert “any exercise is good exercise” and “all exercise burns calories”.
Dr Oluwajana went on: “Regular exercise is necessary to achieve successful weight loss so it is important to do an activity that you enjoy, otherwise it will be hard for you to keep it up and.
“If you are new to exercise, starting with lower intensity, lower impact activities is a good idea.
“Activities such as walking or cycling are ideal and bodyweight exercises such as squats and lunges can easily be incorporated into a low impact workout.
“Then as you gain confidence and get fitter, you can gradually increase the intensity of your exercise.
“You could try higher impact activities such as running, add more dynamic movement to bodyweight exercises and introduce some resistance with weights.
“The key is to start small and build slowly, as if you push too hard too soon you’re less likely to enjoy it and may even cause injury.”