The Benefits and Misconceptions of Regular Exercise

Welcome to this installment of the Weekly Fitness and Health Report. This week we will look at two articles that outline some benefits of exercise. Now I think we all know that regular exercise helps increase physical fitness and improve our health, but for those who are on the fence about the benefits of exercise, these articles might help. The first article is entitled, "Exercise May Help Maintain Weight Loss". While this may sound like an obvious conclusion, don't be so sure.

This article comes from EmpowHer, and cites a study from the American Journal of Physiology -- Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology. This study used rats, some fed a high-fat diet and some on a low-fat, low-calorie diet. After a time, some rats were made to exercise while some weren't. After several months, the rats that exercised regained less of their weight, burned more fat and accumulated fewer fat cells, among other benefits. Researchers also said that burning fat first may have also dampened the rats' feelings of hunger, leading to more weight loss. Through the research, the scientists determined that body weight is "an interplay of physiological, psychological, cognitive and lifestyle factors."

Therefore, exercise may help more with weight loss than previously thought due to altering the "defended" weight, or the body weight each person's physiology and metabolism strives to maintain. If this is true, than exercise can be even more beneficial than previously thought, as it can help not only get us slim, but alter our physiology to keep us slim as well.

Our other article is entitled "Exercise is not an excuse to eat as you please", and comes to us from The Kansas City star. In this article, the author talks to Ed Melanson, an associate professor of medicine at University of Colorado, about the misconception that, once you've exercised that there's a "excess post-exercise increase in energy expenditure" that helps you burn fat, leading people to believe they can eat whatever they want. Sadly, there's no proof to show that this is the case at all, yet most people replenish the calories they've burned from exercising thanks to this misconception. This conclusion comes from a study in which sixty-five participants exercised, lost 400 calories, but showed no difference in fat burnt over a twenty-four hour period.

What do these articles show? When it comes to weight loss, regular exercise is just part of the puzzle. It can help you keep off the weight you've lost, but only with a proper and healthy diet as well. Keep this in mind when creating your own diet and exercise regimen. Until next time, have a happy and healthy week.