(KSDK) — If you want to lose some weight, exercise can help, but there''s no need to go workout wild.
It''s about how many calories you burn, not how hard you work to burn them.
"I work out about three to five times a week, always try to hit three. I do 30 minutes cardio, usually the elliptical," after six months of consistent workouts, Janet Heller considers herself a regular at Barnes Jewish Hospital''s WellAware Center.
BJC Exercise Specialist Jeremy Koerber says "Janet''s done an incredible job, because when she first started she was sort of hit or miss."
"I have a lot more energy, I''ve lost about 27 pounds, my blood pressure and cholesterol have gone down, I just feel great." A recent study suggests Heller is stepping in the right direction, smarter, not necessarily harder workouts help people lose weight.
University of Pennsylvania researchers put 200 overweight women on four different diet and exercise programs. After a year, women who did high intensity workouts lost about the same as women who moderately exercised.
"If I work out for 30 minutes at a very high intensity and burn 200 calories and I have someone else who comes in and works out at a much more moderate intensity for an hour and burns 200 calories they are the same, they''ve accomplished the same goal." John Walters'' habit for good health started six years ago.
He started out slow and now dedicates at least an hour and a half each day to exercise, "I lost about 35 pounds, my blood pressure dropped to the point that I no longer required medication."
While it works for John, not everyone is fit enough to fill such active tennis shoes and you don''t have to be.
Koerber says "Most people have this stereotype that you have to kill yourself to exercise that''s not it at all. It''s about burning a sufficient amount of calories to make a difference and it''s about doing the activity."
Koerber says the worst thing a person can do is join a health club and expect overnight results.
It took Janet six months to see her results, so patience and perseverance are important.