Your Body Type Determines the Success of Weight Loss Exercise

Two of the most effective ways to lose weight are diet and exercise. These two do not only help increase your body’s metabolism but also helps you burn calories fast. However, you should understand that while they may work for you, they will only really be effective if you are doing the right diet and exercise for your body type. Most people have a mindset that by starving themselves or killing their bodies through intensive workouts, they can lose weight really fast.

Nothing could be further from the truth, because cutting back on your diet actually slows down your body’s metabolism, and overexerting your muscles can hurt your immune system, putting all your efforts to lose weight in vain. Before you try any kind of weight loss method, you should first know what your body type is and what optimal steps you can take to make diet and exercise conform to it. Knowing your body type will also let you understand how much weight you can lose without compromising your overall health.

The three categories where your body type can fall in are Endomorph, Mesomorph, and Ectomorph. Not all people can fit exactly to any of these categories but most usually contain a characteristic or characteristics of each type. According to experts, knowing which body type you have will help you develop the right of kind of workout routine that will produce significant results for you in short periods of time.

People who fall under the ectomorph category tend to have narrow hips and shoulders, and may have very little fat in their body. Endomorph, on the other hand, is the exact opposite of ectomorph. They have larger bone structures and have round bodies, which is actually a result of being fat. Meanwhile, mesomorphs fall between ectomorph and endomorph, which means they tend to have muscular bodies and have less body fat. Mesomorphs are kind of lucky since they don’t need a lot of effort in losing body fat and toning their muscles.

If you have endomorph body type, however, you will need more frequency and intensity in your workouts. The goal of your exercises should primarily be to boost your metabolism and reduce your body fat. But while you need to work out more frequently, you should also rest for at least 48 hours between workout schedules to avoid over-activity.

The moment you find out what body type you have, finding the right weight loss exercise or diet program would not be difficult anymore. You should also understand that some people may have a combination of body types. But as long you know which kind of diet or exercise program will fit you, your progress will become more visible no matter what type of body you have.

Whatever kind of weight loss exercise program you’re into right now, make sure that your aim is to achieve a mesomorph body type and maintain it. Even people who are born to have this body type later lose it due to lack of self-discipline.

Cross Train to Optimize Weight Loss

If you are thinking of exercising to lose weight, there are some things you need to understand. One of these is that there is a smart way to exercise, and there is also a foolish way of doing so. A foolish way is to exercise without getting results, either because you are not doing a workout properly or you are not doing it in a way that maximizes the calories you burn. The smart way is to understand, first of all, how your body responds to certain exercises, so that you know which ones to use and when, in order to maximize the weight you lose.

For weight loss, there are three types of exercise that are recommended:

1.  Cardio-vascular exercises are aerobic workouts like cycling, walking, running, or sports like ball games. These typically burn calories as you do them, and they are very good at hiking up your metabolism. Typically, cardio exercises are best when done from thirty minutes or longer, and enough to raise your heart rate by more than 10% the normal rate. Of course, you would not be able to know this unless you have a heart rate monitor in place, but one basic test that you can do is to see if you are getting out-of-breath or you feel some natural strain as you do the exercise.

2. The second type of exercise recommended for weight loss is strength training. Some people who want to lose weight shy away from dumb bells because they believe building muscle means added weight. Indeed, you might not lose as much weight, but at least the weight comes from muscle this time around, and not fat. Plus, you actually burn more calories as you build up muscle from strength-training, as muscles burn more energy than fat, even when at rest. This means that even as you just sit around, your metabolism will continue to be working. Of course, the thing to remember about strength training is that you need to give your body at least 24 hours’ rest in between training sessions, as the rest period is when your muscle cells resuscitate and become stronger.

3. Stretching exercises is where Pilates and Yoga typically fall under. Stretching basically improves flexibility, but it also burns much energy as you stretch each muscle. A common misconception about stretching is that it is only good for warm-ups, when in fact it is one whole area of exercise altogether. In fact, experts recommend doing stretching after your body is already sufficiently warmed up, as it also lessens the chance of injury.

Studies have tested these three exercises to see which one is best for weight loss, but the verdict was simple and common sense: cross-training appeared to be the best choice, as it gave the benefits of each while combating the disadvantages of each one. As such, you can perhaps do them one after another per day in the week, and reap the benefits for your overall fitness!

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