Exercising = Weight Loss?

Conventional wisdom tells us, if we want to lose weight, we have to exercise. But apparently this is no longer the case, and scientists say exercise has little correlation with weight loss.

An interesting article in the August 17th, 2009 edition of TIME magazine tackles this issue. Apparently, 45 million Americans belong to a health club and spend close to $19 billion on their memberships. Yet 1 third of Americans are obese and another third are considered overweight. So if Americans are exercising more, why can’t they shed the weight?

New research suggests this is because exercising actually makes us want to eat more. After we destroy ourselves at the gym, we tend to reward ourselves with something fatty, like a muffin or french fries. By doing this, we actually cancel out our hard work by rejuvenating our bodies with calories. To give you an example, a 1 hour run can be spoiled by the calories of just half a muffin.

Scientists suggest our main problem is that we are decreasing the amount of low level physical activity we once did, like walking, gardening, or taking the stairs. Generations before us relied less on technology, and by performing more low level activity, they were able to keep their weight under control. (Anyone thinking of WALL-E at this point?)

Exercise is still crucial to overall good health and disease prevention, but if you’re really trying to lose the spare tire or the love handles, simply watching what you eat and moving a little more can go a long way.