In the search for a thinner waistline, people often take up cardiovascular exercise in order to burn calories. Cardiovascular exercise has many advantages to be sure, the low impact routines allow for longer exertion and can therefore increase muscle endurance, but for weight loss resistance training is far more beneficial.
Resistance training should not be confused with bodybuilding, as heavy weights do not need to be lifted to see results. A thick book or backpack of water bottles can be used as easily as dumbbells, and many exercises exist which rely completely on body weight.
Raising Metabolism to Burn Fat
It all comes down to the basal metabolic rate (BMR), which is a measure of how much energy the body uses in order to maintain itself. By simply being alive the body uses energy, and some tissues require more energy on a continual basis than others.
When the body takes in more energy than is burned, the excess is stored away in the form of fat. When more energy is used than is taken in, the body will call on these reserves. By raising the BMR, one raises the level at which energy is used and will therefore burn more fat in the long run.
Short-Term and Long-Term Benefits of Exercise
Cardiovascular exercise does rev the body up for a short duration, and it can be used to lose weight, but because the routines are low impact the fat-burning effects level off rapidly after the heart rate returns to normal levels. Resistance training not only takes far less time, it also enhances the fat-burning engines of muscle.
Muscle requires energy to maintain itself, and when resistance is applied the muscles involved will grow (thereby increasing the overall amount of energy used). Along with the long-term weight loss benefits of muscle maintenance, resistance training causes fat loss by temporarily damaging the muscle.
The development of muscle (whether in the arms, back, chest, or legs) is triggered when the tissue is damaged, usually by exercising with a larger workload than it is used to. While healing, the body will also burn fat, as increased energy and nutrients (such as vitamins and minerals) are required during the recuperation process.
Staying Beautiful With Exercise
Both cardiovascular and resistance exercises can produce aesthetically pleasing physiques. The belief many women hold that they will gain a bulky, rigid, body is largely due to the misconception that the effects of weight training is immediate.
The body takes time to change in composition, and the human body is not designed to build bulk unless it is consistently driven to do so. It may take weeks of persistence to see hard-earned results, and routines can be changed overnight to compensate if too much weight is used.
Cardio Can Hinder Weight-Loss Results
While cardiovascular exercises have short-term weight loss benefits, the results of resistance training are both long- and short-term. When weight-loss is the sole motivation for exercise, the most efficient routine includes low to moderate weights; where burning fat is the goal, cardiovascular exercise can actually hinder weight-loss results by using up the body's immediately available energy when it can be better utilized with resistance methods which promote lean muscle growth.
In the long run, choosing to take on any workout program is the most important factor. Acting on the decision to consistently exercise in any manner will give you a better quality of life, higher mobility, and possibly even more years to enjoy the wonders this world has to offer.
