John Cloud's article in the August 17 th issue of Time magazine has me incensed, enraged even. He talks about how exercise is making us fat because it spurns hunger and makes us eat more. But then he goes on to say that it's the treats that we reward ourselves with after exercising that is negating the effects, like how he likes to eat a blueberry bar as a reward after he works out. So how exactly is that the fault of the workout?
Physical activity, with its numerous health benefits (more energy, less depression, improved cardiovascular and brain functioning) is the reward in and of itself. Exercise is not a form of punishment that requires a reward of a $12/1500 calorie trip to Starbucks afterward. It is that sense of entitlement that will lead to weight gain, not the walk around the neighborhood or the 30 minutes at the gym.
Physical activity, with its numerous health benefits (more energy, less depression, improved cardiovascular and brain functioning) is the reward in and of itself. Exercise is not a form of punishment that requires a reward of a $12/1500 calorie trip to Starbucks afterward. It is that sense of entitlement that will lead to weight gain, not the walk around the neighborhood or the 30 minutes at the gym.