True-false on sports that make you lose weight

The truth about sports that make you lose weight

You have to combine sport and a balanced diet

True. A sport activity does not make you lose weight on its own. Of course, we spend energy and therefore we burn fat. It also allows you to reshape your silhouette by strengthening certain parts of the body. But if you devour cakes or crisps non-stop, you will be able to run for miles, there will be little results on the scale! To lose weight, food intake must be less important than calorie expenditure. It is therefore essential to adopt good eating habits. If necessary, seek advice from a nutritionist. But know that by resuming the sport, at the beginning, you will weigh more. Don’t be discouraged, it means you are starting to build muscle – muscle is heavier than fat. In a few weeks, the results will be more encouraging. Moreover, to measure your progress, choose a bathroom scale that indicates the body mass index (BMI), the percentage of water …

It is more efficient to combine several activities.

True. A so-called “cardio” activity burns calories and is good for the heart. Your choice: swimming, Zumba®, cycling… The right pace: 45 to 60 minutes, once or twice a week. To reshape your silhouette, you also have to “build” your muscles. Then opt for muscle strengthening: Pilates, yoga, abdominal glutes classes… The ideal: 1 minutes, once or twice a week. Finally, to refine your muscles, bet on stretching. These slow stretches, combined with gentle breathing, avoid having overly inflated calves or thighs, which is not very aesthetic. As a bonus, joint pain and the risk of muscle tearing are reduced. To do 2 hour per week or every 30 days.

Yoga and Pilates don’t muscle.

False. It’s not about lifting dumbbells or exerting strenuous efforts, but yoga and Pilates movements engage the muscles in depth. Besides, if you do the exercises well, you will feel tingling. And after the first sessions, you will have aches. Pilates works the deep abs (ideal for losing your belly after pregnancy) and the back muscles (great for back pain). As for yoga, it strengthens the legs and upper body.

Boxing, cycling and swimming burn a lot of calories.

True. Boxing and martial arts in general are super complete: they combine cardio and muscle building, at a sustained pace. In addition, they work the whole body. With the indoor bike, we alternate between climbs, sprints, descents… Because varying the pace consumes more calories. Its aquatic version, aquabiking, is recommended to resume sport smoothly. Finally, swimming is recommended in case of back pain. Take lessons, it’s more motivating and effective for working all parts of the body: the lifeguard will make you practice several swims, use fins, a board. It is also excellent for working the breath.

With jogging, the silhouette is quickly reshaped.

True. Of course, running involves a high energy expenditure and improves heart condition. But it is also a sport that helps to sculpt your body quickly. It’s super motivating! After a few weeks, the legs are more toned, the buttocks plump and the waist slimmer. The secret to these spectacular results? Each stride produces small impacts that allow you to build muscles with finesse. To start, alternate between walking and running times, without straining too much, then increase your pace to reach 15 to 20 minutes of running. Already a great challenge! Always warm up before, while walking, and then stretch after the run. Indispensable: quality sneakers.

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Sport does not act on cellulite.

False. Practicing a sporting activity helps to erase the orange peel appearance. The mechanism is simple: building muscle creates blood vessels around the worked areas. Suddenly, this microcirculation exerts an internal drainage effect, useful in the fight against cellulite. Just as the aquatic activities are beneficial thanks to the massages carried out by the contact of water.

When we exercise on an empty stomach, we burn more fat.

True. To have energy during the effort, the body first draws on the sugars present in the blood (from our food), then after 20 to 30 minutes, in general, it attacks the fats of Reserve. So, if you walk, run… before having breakfast, your body will draw on fat faster. But take it easy at first: no more than twice a week and pack a snack (dried fruits, bananas, etc.). Need to eat before a session? It is possible, as long as you do it at least 2 hours before to have time to digest. Otherwise, you may be bloated and not be at your best.

We should not eat after exercise.

False. No question of throwing yourself on too caloric foods, otherwise the benefit of the session will be canceled. But to replenish your energy, you can fall for a balanced snack: a fruit and a yogurt or a handful of dried fruits, for example. The false good idea: energy bars, which most of the time contain too much sugar. Do you exercise between 12 and 14 p.m.? Then bet for lunch on proteins (fish, lean meat…), essential for the muscles, and cooked vegetables. On the water side, it’s at will before, during and after the effort. The goal: to compensate for losses due to perspiration, to eliminate the toxins released and thus avoid cramps. Choose water rich in magnesium and calcium, as sweating causes the minerals to leak out. Another little tip, drinking sparkling water after a session decreases muscle fatigue and also promotes recovery.

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