Too fat for sports? No excuses, please! Rather, there are enough serious reasons why overweight people in particular should get going in terms of exercise. Because sport is not only an effective fat killer and a valuable contribution to health – selected with brains it is even really fun!
An end to excuses
Excuse number one: “I don’t dare to go to the gym” You don’t have to! It is much better to give yourself a jolt, go out – and just start! Walking, for example, sounds much more dynamic than simply going for a walk. For newcomers to sports, walking or Nordic walking is the ideal introduction.
And it immediately disproves another popular excuse: “I get out of breath so fast!” That’s not the intention at all – on the contrary. DAK sports scientist Uwe Dresel: “Fatty acids are only burned aerobically, i.e. with sufficient oxygen.” That’s why it’s important that pulse rates don’t skyrocket too much and you’re just gasping for air. According to the sports expert, “Feeling a light, pleasant exertion is the first goal.”
Lose weight with regular exercise
“But you don’t lose weight doing that, do you?!” You bet! Regular exercise increases calorie consumption, builds muscle and slowly reduces fat. An added bonus: because muscle tissue consumes more energy than fat, the basal metabolic rate gradually increases and so does calorie consumption – meaning fat melts faster.
Uwe Dresel: “Especially for overweight people, endurance sports are recommended, ideally half an hour three times a week, at a slow to moderate pace.” Without thereby “going on the joints” – still such a popular (how wrong!) Objection of some overweight people against the sport.
Here, too, the opposite is rather true: precisely because of the (excess) weight, the supporting corset needs special strengthening. But since too many pounds put a strain on the joints anyway, it is important to be as gentle as possible on ligaments and bones during sports. Jumps or fast movements are therefore taboo for the time being.
Which sports are suitable for overweight?
Ideally suited, for example, is brisk walking or walking: both are much gentler on the joints than jogging, for example, because one foot always remains in contact with the ground. Nevertheless the metabolism comes here properly in swing. This improves the blood values, burns plenty of energy and strengthens the immune system. In addition, a gymnastics program fits optimally, which strengthens the muscles and increases mobility.
Together it goes better
Cycling (or mountain biking) is also very suitable for heavyweight people: it makes you fit without straining the musculoskeletal system. And because the body’s gravitational pull is reduced by around 90 percent in water, overweight people are naturally right in their element when it comes to swimming: swimming provides the gentlest workout of all, strengthens the muscles and tightens the tissue.
And if you want to work out a little more in the wet, you can do a round of aqua fitness or water gymnastics – exercise in the water is an excellent fat burner. All this is best done in a good-humored group of like-minded people – in a course, for example. Who shrinks from it because of prejudice No. 5 ?such courses are too expensive for me?, should consult its health insurance: Most health insurers are happy to pay a subsidy for quality cardiovascular training.
