Weight Loss vs. Weight Maintenance - How much exercise do we really need?

 This is a great topic for you Dry July challenge, but it’s also seriously tough to answer in a short article. If it were as simple as a black and white answer to this question, we would not still be asking this very question. Weight loss versus weight maintenance. We all know we need to move to feel good and be healthy, not only on a daily basis but also for the long-term. I know I want to be a ninja-yogi nana, so if I don’t move more now, I’ll be a long way behind on that sweet, sweet goal. Most of us however, wish to either lose body fat, or maintain our current size, focusing on exercise for specific or general health or muscle toning. No matter our goals, we all want to feel better in and of ourselves. So it makes sense to spend some energy on getting the equation right before we charge forward. 

 How much is too much? How much cardio do I need to do to lose weight? How many calories should I be eating each day? So many questions... it’s no wonder we all get so overwhelmed. Depending on our personality type, we will tend to; A) Either do it all ourselves, go gun-hoe and take the ‘all or nothing’ approach, potentially burn out or go back to our old habits; B) Take the time to understand every part of the equation, listen to health professionals intently for advice, want to get the details right before starting; C) Want change but still avoid it, feeling inadequate by what we don’t understand, feeling like the effort is so much harder than it is to stay the same. Clearly, option B is the best bet; slow and steady wins the race. The truth can be frustrating, especially when we realise we could have chosen this mindset years ago. Let’s accept the need for BALANCE now, so we can move on with the details.

We all know the ‘energy in vs energy out’ chestnut. Burn more than you consume to lose weight. It’s true, food is energy for our body. If we eat more than we expend, it has to go somewhere. Splat. Thighs and butt. (Not to mention arteries, liver, etc...). But before we start rushing ahead and depleting our body of food and nutrition, before we start over-training, we need to remember that if we go too hard, something’s got to give. Our bodies are super good at compensating. If we under-eat and over-train over time, yes there will be a reduction in body fat, but we will lose a whole lot more than that too; our health. Our poor body just cannot function properly if we don’t nourish it, if we don’t allow enough rest and recovery to balance the hard slog in the gym. Hormones get the crankies, and those guys oversee everything in our body; they do their best to maintain homeostasis within our body, but if we don’t give our glands what they need to flourish, the communication in our body starts to break down and the inflammation builds up. Likewise, if we take the easy road consistently, we are not providing enough stimuli for change in our body.

Yes, I know you want the straight answer still, how much exercise?? Without knowing your thoughts, feelings, motivations, current health and lifestyle habits, amount of weight to lose, apologies I cannot answer that for you. But... as a coach, here are some general rules for exercise (assuming you are not an athlete) so that you can create an informed answer for yourself!

1) Frequency:  Training 4-5 days per week is ideal, although this also very much depends on the intensity of your workouts (more information below). If you wish to lose body fat, 5 or perhaps even 6 days per week could be a good option, bearing in mind that not every day needs to be a tough effort. I like day 6 to be a leisurely walk or stretch and foam rolling day.

2) Duration: If you are working out for longer than 60 minutes, you’re either training too hard or talking too much. 30-60 minutes is a great amount of time to set aside. Keep in mind incidental exercise as this all adds up. This is movement throughout the day such as taking the stairs or walking to get lunch. If your goal is to lose weight rather than body maintenance, there will need to be dedicated training time as well, where the goal is to increase your heart rate and metabolic demands for a more sustained period of time.

3) Recovery: The body needs rest and recovery in order to restore itself, rebuild, get stronger and be ready to go again. Cardio training generally only requires 24 hours recovery before your body is ready to go again, depending on the intensity of your session. Remember, the higher the intensity, the more breakdown occurs, and the more recovery is required to keep your body in balance and good health. Strength training requires more recovery as the micro-trauma on our muscles is greater. In general, if a muscle is sore, try to leave it alone and work something else. Low-medium intensity cardio such as going for a walk is a great option when muscles are sore.

4) Intensity: Higher intensity creates greater stimulus for change. If you want to change, get comfortable with the uncomfortable! However, this needs to be mapped out not only across your week of workouts, but also for each session in itself. If you train 5 times per week at high intensity and rest for 2 days, this is still most likely too much for the body to handle over time. We may begin this way and get excited by quick body changes, but as injuries start to arise from over-training it can then halt our progress. Remember, balance is always best.

a. HIIT: If you want to lose body fat, ‘high-intensity interval training’ is an excellent method approximately twice per week. In this style, the heart rate is elevated for a small duration, followed immediately by a recovery period to lower the heart rate and repeated for a certain amount of reps or time. 20 minutes is a common total duration for this method of training, though again, this absolutely depends on your level of fitness and health goals. Intervals are generally less than a minute in duration, and the rest period should be the same duration or slightly longer depending on your level of fitness. For weight maintenance, this is still a great method of training, but once per week should be adequate.

5) Cross Training: Strength training is so important both for weight maintenance and weight loss. Regardless of the greater health benefits, there are countless studies that show our lean muscle mass is correlated to our metabolic rate. Essentially, the more muscle we have, the more calories we are burning at rest just to maintain this muscle. Cool huh! However, we need to train our muscles ever 10-14 days just purely for maintenance or the tissue can start to break down for energy needs in the body. How much per week? This is so individual too. Remember the balance rule. If you are a cardio queen, keep doing what you love but perhaps try to shift the balance in favour of strength training for a little while.

6) Post-workout nutrition: Remember to replenish your body after training! Yes with weight loss goals we are aiming to deplete the body of stored energy, but we do not want to deplete ourselves of nutrition. After a workout, try to consume a snack that is balanced with proteins, carbs and good quality fats. Proteins are more important after strength training, so perhaps if you are training a lot, consider looking into good quality protein supplements.

You may feel frustrated that there is still no direct answer to the question J To this I’ll say, keep asking questions, learn to tune into your body and listen to what it’s telling you (ie. Is your mind or your body telling you not to workout today??) be kind to yourself and lastly and most importantly, enjoy the journey. Are you smiling? J

Kirsty x