Exercise to Lose Weight - Calories Burned

Although exercise may burn relatively few calories, a negative energy balance of as little as 200 calories a day can result in weight loss over time.

For example: by brisk walking for one hour (300 calories burned), instead of watching TV (80 calories burned) you burn an extra 220 calories. Over the course of a year, this is the equivalent of 23 pounds of body weight. What's more, in clinical tests, when moderate exercise is performed food intake either remains the same or decreases. At the same time, weight will gradually decrease.

Contrary to what some weight loss and exercise products state, there is no such thing as spot reduction. Fat is lost throughout the body in a pattern dependent upon genetics, gender, hormones and age. In other words, although a negative calorie deficit (more calories burned than consumed) will always cause fat loss, the precise location of such fat loss is decided by the body and no exercise or diet routines can influence this process.

Although fat may be lost throughout the body, the midsection (in men and some women) and hips and thighs (in women and few men) is typically the final body area to become lean.

Spot exercises, like sit-ups, crunches, hip raises, leg raises, hip adduction, hip abduction, etc. can only develop the muscles adjacent to the fat. They cannot burn fat from the area exercised.