Metabolic Effects
As with so many good things, the exercise–muscle–metabolism triangle has a few catches. Not all studies show that it is possible to preserve muscle mass during weight loss. The exact effect of exercise on the rate of metabolism, and therefore how many calories the body burns, is not consistent from person to person.
As weight goes down, the number of calories burned throughout the day and while doing a particular exercise also goes down because the muscles have less body weight to move around. Many aerobic exercise machines, like treadmills, step climbers, and elliptical machines, factor this in by including body weight in the estimate of the number of calories burned while on the machine.
The number of calories burned doing the same activity (for example, brisk walking for thirty minutes) decreases over time because the body gets into a groove and works more efficiently. Calorie burning also decreases over time as fitness level improves. Body movements become smoother and more coordinated.
To increase calories burned during exercise, increasing activity time is preferable to increasing activity intensity. Additionally, alternating activities can help prevent the muscles from getting too comfortable and efficient doing one particular form of exercise.
Posted in Dieting, Tips and Advices
