Weight Loss Exercise

Is diet or exercise better for losing weight?

What is the best way to lose weight: diet or exercise? If comparing the two options to lose weight based purely on their effectiveness as stand-alone choices, then reducing your intake of calories by changing your diet appears to support weight loss more effectively; however, exercise and physical activity are just as important in healthy weight management.

Losing weight is as simple as burning more calories than you consume. One pound of fat consists of approximately 3,500 calories, and simple math tells you that if you cut 500 calories a day from your diet for one week, you would lose one pound.

Adding exercise to that diet, though, can give you additional benefits. You will burn excess calories, reduce your blood pressure, strengthen your cardiovascular system, and even improve your mood! Additionally, exercise can be an effective way to maintain the weight loss you do experience. Studies have shown that people who have maintained their weight loss over a long period of time also perform regular physical activity.

While diet alone may help you lose weight, by adding exercise and regular physical activity to your routine as well, you will improve your health, make your weight loss more effective, and increase your likelihood of long-term healthy weight maintenance.