What do I have to consider if I want to lose weight through endurance sports?
Basically endurance training is a good calorie burner. One moves over a longer period of time and boosts the metabolism. However, you must bear in mind that endurance sports do not necessarily lead to an increase in muscle mass.
However, muscle mass is metabolically active mass on our body and helps us lose weight. In endurance training, the calorie consumption during training is very high, but in the long run no increase (or even a decrease in some cases) of the basal metabolic rate can be expected. To lose weight you need a negative calorie balance, so you have to burn more energy than you consume.
A high basal metabolic rate is helpful here. It should be paid attention to not break down too much muscle (protein-containing food) when losing weight through endurance sports. A calorie balance is useful.
What are the consequences of endurance sports on pulse, blood pressure, fats?
Endurance training has an effect on our entire body and influences many cardiovascular parameters, but also positively changes blood values and the immune system. Through endurance the lung function changes, you can take in more oxygen with one breath, which has a positive effect on our circulation. Our heart is a muscle, the demand to pump the blood through the body during training makes the muscle trained and more efficient.
The heart can transport a larger amount of blood with fewer beats. The power of the beats increases, the pulse rate decreases. Endurance athletes often have a very low resting heart rate.
The blood circulation of the heart also improves, which prevents cardio-vascular diseases. Due to the increased oxygen demand during training, the body reacts with an increased production of red blood cells. In addition, regular endurance training reduces the risk of thrombosis by positively influencing the condition of the blood vessels, reducing the tendency of the blood platelets to clump together and improving the flow properties of the blood.
In addition to these cardiovascular parameters, other organ systems will also be changed in the long term by endurance sports. Endurance sports can change the musculature. Not only the blood circulation is adapted to the needs and increased, but also the fibre structure is rebuilt and firmer, the metabolism of the muscles is optimized and the corresponding cell organelles are integrated more.
Overall, the proportion of body fat is reduced (with an appropriate calorie intake). Endurance training also has positive effects on the immune system. The immune defence is strengthened.
This is due to the fact that the body produces more antibodies, which can become active immediately upon exposure to the pathogen and fight the pathogen before any signs of illness occur. Glucose (sugar) can be better absorbed into the cells through sporting activity, so that less insulin is needed. Insulin has an effect on our entire metabolism; for example, it prevents the breakdown of fat.
Due to the lower insulin level, fat breakdown can therefore be improved. Blood fats such as LDL and triglycerides (“bad fats”) also decrease in the blood, whereas good HDL cholesterol appears more in the blood and transports cholesterol from the periphery to the liver. The risk of atherosclerosis is reduced. Furthermore, there are many positive effects of endurance sports on the psyche (stress hormones decrease, memory is improved, anxiety and depression are reduced, self-confidence is strengthened). How you can improve your endurance performance and what you should pay attention to when doing so, you can find out here: Endurance performance – how it is improved