By Dr. Park Chan-Joo
Obesity is one of the most common and serious health problems all over the world. It is well known that obesity is related to chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, and eventually reduction of longevity.
Since obesity is a condition characterized by the excessive accumulation and storage of fat in the body, weight loss should be focused on decreasing the amount of fat. In contrast to temporary weight loss by reduction of such body materials as moisture, muscle and fat, exercise can especially help reduce fat in the long term.
Physical exercise can contribute to maintaining a healthy weight by building and maintaining healthy bone density, strengthening muscles, keeping joints flexible, and strengthening the immune system. Needless to say, it is essential for not only losing weight but also staying healthy.
Then what kind of exercise would be more effective in losing weight? Of the three categories of exercises _ aerobic exercises, anaerobic exercises and flexibility exercises _ obese people should first choose aerobic exercises, which are effective in ``consuming fat.’’ Aerobic exercises include cycling, walking, jogging, running, swimming and tennis, and focus on increasing cardiovascular endurance.
In terms of the intensity and duration of exercise, you should exercise at a low to moderate level of intensity over a long period of time in order to burn fat. During exercise, try to increase your heartbeat to 60 to 80 percent of your maximum heart rate (which you can calculate by subtracting your age from 220). It means that the intensity should be enough for you to speak while exercising.
During aerobic exercises, it is said that fat begins to be burned as fuel about 15 minutes after you start your exercise. So it is recommended that you exercise for 30 to 90 minutes at a time, and at least four times a week.
Theoretically, an adult can lose about 500 grams of fat a week under a proper diet with regular exercise. So, make a plan to lose about 1.5 to 2 kilograms of fat a month.
Of course, it is not enough to just do aerobic exercises. Make enough time for anaerobic exercises and flexibility exercises to increase muscle strength and keep your muscles and joints flexible.
Most people tend to get bored if they focus on just one specific kind of exercise, and may find it hard to maintain a regular exercise program. In order to avoid this, it is suggested that you alternate among different kinds of exercises, such as cycling and walking at the beginning level, or fast-walking, weight training, cycling and jogging at a more advanced level.
In addition, you can listen to music to enjoy exercise or find a partner to exercise with. Be sure to choose exercise programs that are suitable and interesting to you; otherwise, you’ll give it up sooner or later.
Once you make exercising a routine, you’ll gain enormous benefits from it in the future aside from weight loss.
tarapark@gmail.com
Dr. Park Chan-Joo is the chief doctor at Tara Acupuncture & Oriental medicine (www.tara-clinic.com) in Seoul.