Quick Facts
- Exercise reduces your risk of chronic disease and obesity
- Exercise can reduce your stress levels and increase energy levels and stamina
- To lose weight you need to increase your physical activity levels and decrease your energy intake. There are no “quick fixes”!
- Those who combine exercise with a healthy diet are better able to maintain their weight loss over a two year period
So how much exercise is needed in order to lose weight?
- At least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week is needed to achieve health benefits
- 300 minutes (5 hours) per week, or approximately 45 minutes each day of moderate-intensity exercise is recommended to lose or maintain weight loss
- At the very least, a minimum of 30 minutes a day is recommended for low-moderate weight loss
- It is suggested that you work up a sweat! If walking doesn’t do this for you, try something more demanding such as cycling, jogging or skipping!
What about the diet side of things?
- A small deficit in food consumption (250kcal per day) can lead to a weight loss of about half a kilo each week when combined with exercise.
- Don’t think of eating healthily as ‘dieting’
- Limit your intake of saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, added sugars and salt
- Cut down on alcohol, introduce alcohol free days – if you are serious about losing weight – cut it out completely!
- Eat 2 pieces of fruit and 5 serves of vegetables every day!
- Steam your foods instead of frying them where possible
- Consume a variety of nutrient dense foods
- Always eat breakfast
Keeping a food and exercise diary can help you to stay motivated! It also helps you to make better food choices and makes you think about what you’re about to put into your mouth.
Tell people to help you, it’s always easier when you have support. If you tell your friend that you’re trying to lose weight, they might not even offer you dessert and you won’t have to make the decision not to eat it!
