10 Reasons Why Exercise is Good for Your Weight

A recent Time magazine article, "Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin," is
misleading at best. Exercise is critical to losing weight and
maintaining a healthy weight, especially when paired with healthy eating
habits. Countless studies, numerous experts who study exercise, and the
millions of people who have lost weight all attest to the fact that
working out works.

1. Exercise zaps belly fat

Regular
moderate to high intensity aerobic exercise has the greatest impact on
reducing abdominal fat -- the dangerous fat that increases your risk of
diabetes and heart disease.

2. Exercise controls calories

You
need to burn more calories than you consume in order to lose weight.
Regular exercise uses up excess calories that would otherwise be stored
as fat.

3. Exercise keeps lost pounds MIA

Ninety percent of
people who have successfully lost weight and kept it off for a year do
about an hour of physical activity a day.

4. Exercise boosts metabolism

You'll
lose fat when you diet without exercising, but you'll also lose muscle,
which means you'll burn fewer calories. The more muscle you have, the
higher your metabolism and the more calories you'll burn.

5. Exercise does more than the scale shows

If
you gain 3 pounds of lean muscle and lose 4 pounds of fat, you've
actually experienced a 7-pound improvement in your body condition,
despite the scale only showing 1 pound of weight loss..

6. Exercise curbs emotional eating

Working
out has been proven time and time again to help regulate mood, which
has a direct effect on people who eat when they're stressed or upset.

7. Exercise creates a healthy chain reaction

Healthy
habits tend to cluster together.. When people make positive changes,
like getting more exercise, they tend to work on other health
improvements as well, such as eating better.

8. Exercise brings on the fun

Rock-climbing
is more exciting than eating a celery stick. That's why it's sometimes
easier to be active to stay slim than to maintain a strict diet.

9. Exercise stops hunger

People who exercise and diet are actually less hungry than those who only diet, according to at least one study.

10. Exercise ups energy

Regular
physical activity increases stamina by boosting your body's production
of energy-promoting neurotransmitters. That gives you even more
motivation to get moving and shed pounds.