Oxygen and Muscles: A Scientific Method for Fat Loss to Ignite Your Metabolic Engine

Let's look at other aspects of exercise. When we talk about aerobic exercise, we think of jumping around and sweating profusely. But the key point of the term "aerobic exercise" is providing the body with oxygen. After all, oxygen is essential for burning excess fat. And we often forget to take deep breaths, which not only provide oxygen to the body but also relax our minds. Even breathing exercises alone can help you lose several inches of body fat. Yoga exercises are simply stretching and breathing, which is also helpful for people who can't walk (like those in wheelchairs). So, even if you can't use your muscles, you can still burn some excess fat.

If you can engage your muscles (especially in your legs, particularly the thighs because those muscles are larger), then you can use those muscles to burn fat. As I mentioned before, muscles are like the body's engine, and fat is like stored fuel (or energy), so maintaining muscle is important for keeping your metabolism running. After all, one pound of muscle can burn about 40 calories a day. That means 5 pounds of muscle can burn about 200 calories a day (even without exercise). In other words, maintaining muscle allows you to eat more without gaining weight.

Exercise can help us shift our focus away from dieting. Especially since many diet plans ultimately lead to nutritional imbalances-and that's no joke. Not to mention that strict diets slow down metabolism, while exercise speeds it up. In professional terms: regular exercise, especially resistance training, stimulates the secretion of thyroid hormones and increases tissue sensitivity to hormones, thus raising basal metabolic rate. Simply put, the more muscle mass you have, the more fat you burn.

On television, in newspapers, and in magazines, we often see weight-loss advertisements that showcase before-and-after photos of people who have lost weight. Although these ads sell "weight-loss pills without exercise" or "miracle weight-loss diets," we can clearly see that the people in the post-weight-loss photos have gained muscle, as they look more toned and powerful. Sometimes, muscle growth is quite noticeable. There's a saying: "If you don't use it, you'll lose it." This also applies to our bodies. As people age, without continuing regular exercise, the average person gains about 1.5 pounds of fat and loses about 1.5 pounds of muscle per year.

If it's just for exercise, then an indoor bike is perfect for some people. It's even better if they enjoy watching TV or reading. If you're going to sit down to watch TV or read anyway, why not do it on an indoor bike? Before you know it, half an hour has passed, and you've burned fat and built muscle. And once you get into the habit, you won't easily miss it (like brushing your teeth). But remember, it generally takes at least three weeks to form a habit.