Is Aerobic Exercise Effective to Lose Weight?

Learn the real benefits of aerobic exercise for weight loss and understand what to take into consideration to achieve your goals.
Is Aerobic Exercise Effective to Lose Weight?

Last update: 02 January, 2019

If you want to eliminate those extra pounds, you should know that exercise is fundamental. If you don’t do any physical activity regularly, it may be too exhausting to choose anaerobic exercises, because they imply greater physical resistance. But is aerobic exercise effective for weight loss?

Keep reading and we’ll explain everything you need to know about this type of exercise and its effectiveness in weight loss. In addition, we’ll provide you with a series of tips so that achieving your ideal weight is a simpler task.

What is aerobic exercise?

In a very basic way, aerobic exercise can be defined as exercises that don’t require too much intensity and that are performed over a prolonged period of time. Some examples of this type of exercise would be cycling, going for a run or swimming.

Person swimming as aerobic exercise.

This type of effort is the opposite of anaerobic, which is performed for very short periods and requires great effort. Lifting weights or sprinting would be some examples. With this type of exercise, you can increase muscle mass, strength, and endurance.

Now that you know the two modalities that you can perform, we’ll analyze the effectiveness of aerobic exercise for the purpose of weight loss. Knowing the benefits of each type of exercise is fundamental to achieving your goals and objectives effectively.

Is it effective to lose weight?

Aerobic exercise, in addition to being effective for weight loss, is the most recommended, especially in the early stages of the process. This is due to the fact that aerobic exercise uses fat accumulated in the body as the main source of consumption, precisely what people who want to lose weight want to lose.

As we have said, anaerobic exercise results in the increase of muscle mass and for the moment that isn’t the goal. It’s appropriate to lose the excess fat and subsequently, in a second stage of the diet increase the muscle.

Why choose only one type of exercise?

As we have explained, depending on the effort made and duration, they are classified into two types of exercises. This does not mean that one is better than the other or that if we choose one of the two we have to forget about the other. Both types are perfectly compatible and in fact, it’s recommended that the two are combined to obtain better results.

Don’t limit yourself to one type of exercise, instead, gradually include variety in your routines. If you don’t exercise regularly, it’s recommended that you start with aerobic exercises to acquire resistance. Once your physical fitness has improved you can gradually incorporate the anaerobic type.

An example of this practice is jogging twice a week. You’ll soon see how you can start to cover a longer distance without fatigue. After a few weeks, you can start doing small stretches to the sprint, stop and recover the trot. These combinations between aerobic and anaerobic exercise will help you achieve your goals in a shorter time and in a more effective way.

Woman running as aerobic exercise.

The importance of nutrition

If you want to lose weight you should also keep in mind that food and physical exercise go hand in hand. And that you can’t disregard either if you want to achieve your goal in a timely manner. In this case, we talked about the physical exercise and the adequacy of certain exercises to lose weight. But, that doesn’t mean that food is in the background.

Remember to eat healthy foods, both before and after the exercise sessions to make the most of the effort made. In addition, you should reduce your intake of fats and sugary drinks.

After the analysis, we have made it’s totally clear that aerobic exercise is effective for weight loss. Also, you don’t have to limit yourself to a single type of exercise, but you can combine this with anaerobic ones. The options are so many that it’s impossible to fall into the monotony of routine. Finally, keep in mind that food is a fundamental pillar for weight loss.


This text is provided for informational purposes only and does not replace consultation with a professional. If in doubt, consult your specialist.