If you want to lose weight, where should your focus lie?

Daily activity pattern

In daily life, we constantly consume energy. Whether we are active or sleeping, the body continuously requires energy to move, talk, keep the brain active, recover, breathe, digest food, contract the intestines, and so on. A distinction is made between energy consumption when the body is at rest—basal metabolism—and energy consumption during activity. Activity can then be further subdivided into the daily activity pattern, also known as Activities of Daily Living (ADL), and energy consumption in the form of physical training or sport.

Should your focus be on energy expenditure through exercise if you want to lose weight, or something else?

Although the focus at the slimming down While energy expenditure often lies in the energy used for training or sports, the energy expenditure of ADL often has a greater impact than you might expect. This is because, as Dutch people, we exercise on average 1 to 2 times a week and perform activities that fall under ADL much more frequently, thereby ultimately consuming more energy than during our sporting moments. ADL includes, for example, sitting down in chairs and standing up again, walking up and down stairs, household chores, moving, walking, walking the dog, gardening, pursuing hobbies, going out with social contacts, dressing and undressing, using the toilet, personal hygiene, etc.
All these activities costs energy. How much energy a person consumes daily depends on a number of factors. For example, the mobility of people during daily Activities vary from person to person and are partly determined by predisposition, fitness level, body weight, energy level, and indirectly also mood. It goes without saying that energetic, active people consume more energy during the day than people who are tired and inactive.
It is striking that people who train are often much less active in their daily activities on the day they train than when they do not have a workout scheduled. Sometimes, the entire energy expenditure of the workout is then compensated by inactivity during the rest of the day! In that case, you are better off cleaning your house, getting up frequently, walking the dog, and moving along to the music playing, than training for an hour.

You exercise primarily to become more vital, not to lose weight!

View exercise as something you do for your health, not as *the* way to burn more energy. To burn more, moving more and more often in daily life might be a better choice, but if you want to lose weight, the most important thing is not to eat too much, but slightly less than you consume (negative energy balance). We always say you exercise for your vitality, and you lose weight by making better choices in your eating habits. With a combination, you achieve good results on both fronts, and one reinforces the other. So, by all means, do both!

Do you find it difficult to do this on your own, or do you need that appointment to ensure you take action, or do you simply want to experience what it is like to work together with a Personal Trainer Want to work on your goals? Then sign up below! We will contact We would like to sign you up for your introductory try-out at RWIJK GYM. Don't wait too long, as we only have a few spots left to accept new clients.