9 Exercise Tips to Promote Natural Weight Loss

Regular exercise is a key part of my healthy weight loss program. When I start the program with patients, we typically work on establishing good dietary habits first, and then introduce regular exercise next.

Physical activity has many benefits, from supporting mood, to increasing blood flow to the brain for productivity, and of course, promoting weight loss and healthy weight management. Exercising doesn’t need to be complicated! Below are 9 exercise tips to help increase and improve your daily physical activity:

1. Take the stairs.

Whenever you can. When exiting the subway, in your apartment, and at the park. If you live on the twentieth floor, get off at the tenth floor and take the stairs for the rest of the way. Stairs are excellent for supporting the cardiovascular system and promoting weight loss.

2. Schedule a “walk-and-talk” meeting at the office.

Why not take 20 minutes with a few of your colleagues and conduct your meeting while walking outside, instead of sitting? Imagine increasing your exercise by 20 minutes per day, 5 days a week, but not sacrificing your productivity at work! That’s an extra 400 minutes of added activity per month. Bonus points for undertaking a “stairs-and-talk” meeting!

3. Try the 7-minute workout.

The 7-minute workout is one of the easiest, most effective ways to include body-weight exercises when you are tight for time. All you need is a chair, a wall, and your body weight. This workout is science-backed: according to the American College of Sports Medicine’s Health & Fitness Journal, the 7-minute workout is an efficient way to lose weight and improve cardiovascular function and muscular fitness.[1] Personally, when I am working from home but need to move my body, I will do three rounds of the 7-minute workout, de-stress, and then get back to work.  

4. Exercise smarter, not harder!

Building muscle not only burns fat but also increases your resting metabolic rate for hours after your workout. This boosts metabolism, which helps burn fat.  When building muscle, resistance training has been found to be highly effective. To get into the muscle building (or “hypertrophy”) range, resistance exercises should be performed at 8-12 reps for 3-4 sets. This does not mean choosing a light weight and completing 10 reps with minimal effort. It requires choosing an appropriate weight where your muscles can physically not do another repetition after about 10 reps (a phenomenon known as reaching muscular “failure”).

5. Bigger is not better.

Over-exercising can wreck havoc on our hormones and actually hinder weight loss efforts. After one hour of exercising, our stress hormone cortisol spikes because our body has used up its glycogen stores. Aiming for 45-60 minutes of exercising three to four times per week is plenty. The YMCA of Oakville and YMCA of Waterdown/Burlington are two excellent facilities that have a gym, exercise classes, and activities for the whole family.

6. Supplementing.

There aren’t many exercise-specific supplements that are backed by science; however, creatine and branched chain amino acids are safe exceptions.  Creatine is a substance found naturally in muscle cells that help our muscles to produce energy during weight lifting or high-intensity-interval-training (HIIT). Similarly, branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) may help reduce exercise fatigue and improve exercise endurance.

7. Fuel your body to support muscle growth.

Protein intake is crucial for weight loss and weight management. Our bodies require a minimum of 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight for the average sedentary person in order to meet basic bodily functions. For those who exercise regularly, this protein requirement increases to 1.2-1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. For many of my patients, aiming for 80 grams of protein per day is a realistic goal. Are you getting enough protein in your diet?

8. Warm-up and cool down to avoid injury.

Performing a functional warm-up such as bringing your muscles through their normal range of motion before heavy resistance training can help bring blood flow to the area and may also help prevent injury. Examples include body-weight squats, bent over rows with light weights, and deadlifts with light weights.

9. Choose the right time of day for exercise.

Exercising in the morning may have more benefits compared to evening workouts (but let’s face it – making it to the gym at any time of day is a feat in itself). Early morning workouts have the potential to draw more from fat reserves, which can help with weight loss. Exercising in the evening may be too stimulatory for some, impeding sleep onset and quality.

When undertaking a new exercise program or changes to your exercise routine, it is important to work with a qualified healthcare provider such as your naturopathic doctor.

- Dr. Dominique Vanier is a registered naturopath in Burlington with a clinical focus on digestion, women’s hormones and health, and weight loss. Naturopath Burlington. This article is for information purposes only. It is not intended to treat or diagnose any health conditions.

References:

[1] Mattar, L., N. Farran, and D. Bakhour. "Effect Of 7-Minute Workout On Weight And Body Composition." Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness 57.10 (2017): 1299-1304. Web. 30 July 2019.