Exercise seems to hold the same venom as a four letter word, making weight loss a bit of a struggle for a lot of people who’d rather not work up a sweat (maybe this is you?). So, the question always comes up as to whether you actually need to exercise to lose weight.

Here is the answer:

You can lose weight without exercising, but it is harder and the weight will come off slower. Essentially, if you simply modify what you eat in an effort to drop your excess pounds, it’s like having a slow burning metabolic fire that is nothing more than embers versus one that has flames that shoot three feet high. They’ll both destroy the wood eventually, but the first option is going to take a lot longer.

Additionally, when you add exercise to your weight loss plan, you’ll enjoy muscles that are tighter and more tone than if you didn’t work out at all. This will make you look even more thin and trim and give your body a better overall appearance.

Speaking of muscles, the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn even while at rest. That means that even if you’re sitting on the couch relaxing after a long day at work, or spending some time on the beach bathing in the sun, you are going to be burning fat at a higher rate which gets you closer to your goals in less time.

So, how much exercise should you get if you want to speed up the weight loss process?

A lot of health experts make recommendations somewhere between 30 and 60 minutes most days of the week for proper fitness. However, some exercise is better than no exercise, so get in what you can and are willing to do. There is no point setting a fitness goal that you’ll never keep because it seems too overwhelming.

Can you lose weight without exercising? Yes. Should you? Not if you want faster and better results.