Experts Are Upping the Amount of Exercise You Need to Lose Weight

If you’re trying to shed some extra weight by exercising and eating right, but aren’t seeing the results you’d hoped for, it might be for this reason: too little exercise. Even if you’re putting in a good 30 minutes a day of moderate physical exercise, it might not be enough. In fact, according to the latest recommendations from the American College of Sports Medicine, adults need to have at least 50 minutes of exercise a day, or 250 minutes a week, in order to lose weight. Keep reading for the skinny on this new recommendation. . .


The new recommendations from the American College of Sports Medicine are for adults who have been determined to be “healthy enough to exercise.” Those who want to lose a significant amount of weight are urged to exercise 50 minutes a day or 250 minutes a week. In order to exercise properly to lose weight, you need to perform cardiovascular exercises. These are activities that will get your heart pumping, and raise your heart rate.

Doctors and weight loss experts have long since agreed that diet without exercise is a waste of time. Many people feel that they can simply watch what they eat, or worse yet, go on a starvation diet and lose weight. Unfortunately this approach simply won’t work. Why? Because diets (especially starvation diets) often slow down your metabolism to a crawl. This becomes even more of an issue when you consider that as you get older, your metabolism is already slowing down naturally. Combine that with a crash diet and no exercise and you’ve got a big problem!

The sticky part is that many experts disagree as to how much exercise is needed to lose a significant amount of weight a week. However, the latest research suggests that the optimal amount to lose weight is 50 minutes per day (up a bit from the 30-40 minutes per day previously recommended). 

The good news is that you do not have to exercise the 50 minutes all at one time. You can split up those 50 minutes throughout the day, as long as you’re getting your heart rate up each time. You are best, however, to do more of your exercise in the morning. This will get your metabolism going to enable you to burn calories more effectively. Starting early in the morning when it comes to cardiovascular exercises will also give you extra energy to make it through the day.

A quick note: it is not typically a good idea to perform this type of heart pumping exercise right before you go to bed or immediately after you have had a large meal.

If you are significantly overweight it may be difficult for you to exercise strenuously. But there are cardiovascular exercises that you can do even if you are overweight and have a hard time moving around. These include walking (either outside or on a treadmill), low-impact aerobics, or activities such as cycling or swimming. The most important thing is to find something that you enjoy and works the best for you.