If the simple fact of sweating a little is good for the body and the mind, we must admit that many of us also do it to control our figure. But do you have to run for hours to effectively lose superfluous fat? Not necessarily. If it is necessary to favor long efforts to burn fat, it is all a question of understanding the dosages of fuel and training.
45 minutes… or 15
“The body uses different energy substrates depending on the categorized effort, explains Pierre Thomas, sports dietitian. At the beginning, on a very short effort, of a few seconds, we will be using proteins. Then, we will move on to carbohydrates and, in a minority way at the start, to fats. After that ? Gradually, the balance is reversed:
“In a person who is not trained, the majority of fats are used on average after 45 minutes of effort.“
And in a confirmed athlete? Or just well trained? “It can be done from 15 minutes because the body is very accustomed to long-lasting efforts.”
The ideal sport is the one you love
As you have understood, it is therefore the length of the effort (or efforts) that counts, and not its nature. “To lose weight, we have to expend more calories than we take in. And it doesn’t matter whether you spend them dancing or riding a bike. 500 calories remain 500 calories, continues the expert before mentioning the case of a patient who lost 25 kilos “with an adapted diet and playing a game like Just Dance in her living room because she had a bad image of herself and didn’t want to dance in front of other people”.
The most important being to last over time, so do not hesitate to find, you too, an activity that you really like. The more you want to practice it, the more you will do it, and the more weight you will lose. It’s simple, after all, isn’t it?
Read also:
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- Running on a treadmill or outside: which is better for your health?
- Running: these mistakes to avoid when you start
- The 9 best sports for lasting weight loss