Burning calories whilst doing nothing? A dream for anyone wishing to lose weight, but still utopia. The good news however is that he who exercises regularly also burns more calories whilst being idle.
Regular exercise helps to also burn calories whilst lying on the sofa. Professor Ingo Froboese, from the German sports academy health centre in Cologne, explains that physical activity activates our metabolism for 24 hours. That leads to energy not only being consumed during exercise, but also whilst resting. To effectively lose weight, the academic therefore recommends not only cardio but also weight training.
According to Froboese, muscles are energy “devourers”: every kilo of muscle increases daily energy expenditure by about 50 kilo-calories – even whilst occasionally during nothing. In addition, cardio training activates cell renewal and function. Especially walking, cycling, jogging or swimming lend themselves to this. It’s also useful to integrate more activity into everyday life, for example by taking the stairs instead of the elevator or by cycling to work instead of driving.
The yo-yo effect which is the consequence of many diets can be avoided when the dieter strictly adheres to more exercise and balanced nutrition. Froboese explains that, to lose weight successfully and to keep it off, our so-called energy balance is key. This means that weight loss will only occur when calories burnt through activities like sport are higher than calorie intake through food.
