30-Minute Workout as Good as an Hour to Lose Weight Among Overweight Adults
Thirty minutes of exercise a day may be the magic number
to lose weight.
A new study shows 30 minutes of exercise a day works just
as well as an hour in helping overweight adults lose weight.
Researchers found moderately overweight men who exercised
hard enough to sweat for 30 minutes a day lost an average of 8 pounds over
three months compared to an average weight loss of 6 pounds among men who
worked out for 60 minutes a day.
The overall loss in body mass was the same for both
groups, almost 9 pounds.
Researchers say the results are surprising.
Part of the explanation may be that people found 30
minutes of exercise so doable that they had the desire and energy for
additional physical activity, says researcher Mads Rosenkilde, a PhD student at
the University of Copenhagen, in a news release.
In the study, researchers followed 60 moderately
overweight men who wanted to lose weight. The men were randomly put into either
a moderate or high aerobic exercise group.
The high-exercise group was instructed to exercise hard
enough to produce a sweat, like from running or cycling, for 60 minutes a day.
The moderate group only had to sweat for 30 minutes a day.
After 13 weeks, the study showed 30 minutes of exercise a
day produced similar or even better results than 60 minutes a day.
The men who exercised 30 minutes a day lost an average of
2 pounds more of body weight than those who worked out for an hour.
Researchers say those who exercised 30 minutes a day
actually burned more calories than they should have according to their exercise
program.
In contrast, the men who exercised 60 minutes a day lost
less body weight relative to the energy they burned during their workouts. The
extra 30 minutes of exercise did not appear to provide any additional weight
loss in body weight or fat.
More Benefits From Shorter Workouts
Researchers say the results suggest that 30 minutes of
exercise a day may provide additional weight loss benefits.
For example, people may still have extra energy leftover
after shorter workouts to be more physically active throughout the day.
In addition, researchers say the men who exercised for 60
minutes a day probably ate more to compensate for the longer workout session
and therefore lost less weight.
The results appear in the American Journal of Physiology.
Comments
Post a Comment