I attended the American Psychological Association's Annual Convention last week in Toronto, Canada and hope to soon be able to share some of what I learned there, but today I wanted to comment on something that I saw on the airport news stand...
You may have seen the article form this week's Time Magazine entitled "Why Exercise Won't make You Thin" (subtitled on the cover as "the Myths about Exercise"). In this piece, the writer asserts that exercise may not help a person lose weight, and not only that, it may even add to the pounds. He even quotes someone who says, "in general, for weight loss, exercise is pretty useless."
Myth or Reality?
Myth.
The fact is that even a well-written article from a well-respected Magazine like Time cannot refute science. Science has demonstrated that burning calories leads to weight loss and that the healthy way to lose weight is through both diet and exercise. The article also did little to accurately address the amount of calories burned through exercise and movement.
Reality: "Duration and intensity of physical activity are important factors in how much fat the body burns for energy, which, after all, is what you want to lose. The harder and longer you work out, the more fat you will shed." ( Click here for source for this quote).
The American Diabetes Association agrees: Weight Loss Matters, and exercise is a part of any healthy approach to weight loss.
While the Time article did address the health benefits of exercise, I think they deserve more mention here (click on link for more about the health benefits of exercise). The worst idea that a reader could come away with after reading the article in Time is that the best thing to do for your body is to restrict your food intake, not exercise, and focus all your energy on weight loss. Wrong (insert buzzing sound here!).
In truth, a better way to go is to have a balanced approach to your food intake, exercise for health, pleasure and enjoyment, and not focus exceedingly on the number on your scale.
Aside from eating disorder issues, muscle does weigh more than fat, and exercise builds muscle. The scale is not the best determinant of health, though it can be a useful indicator.
For your quiz taking pleasure, here is an exercise and weight loss quiz that also addresses healthy weight loss.
For a highly accurate and helpful understanding of the role of exercise in weight loss and as part of a healthy life style, I highly recommend the resource The Exercise Balance by Pauline Powers and Ron Thompson.
I attended the American Psychological Association's Annual Convention last week in Toronto, Canada and hope to soon be able to share some of what I learned there, but today I wanted to comment on something that I saw on the airport news stand...
You may have seen the article form this week's Time Magazine entitled "Why Exercise Won't make You Thin" (subtitled on the cover as "the Myths about Exercise"). In this piece, the writer asserts that exercise may not help a person lose weight, and not only that, it may even add to the pounds. He even quotes someone who says, "in general, for weight loss, exercise is pretty useless."
Myth or Reality?
Myth.
The fact is that even a well-written article from a well-respected Magazine like Time cannot refute science. Science has demonstrated that burning calories leads to weight loss and that the healthy way to lose weight is through both diet and exercise. The article also did little to accurately address the amount of calories burned through exercise and movement.
Reality: "Duration and intensity of physical activity are important factors in how much fat the body burns for energy, which, after all, is what you want to lose. The harder and longer you work out, the more fat you will shed." ( Click here for source for this quote).
The American Diabetes Association agrees: Weight Loss Matters, and exercise is a part of any healthy approach to weight loss.
While the Time article did address the health benefits of exercise, I think they deserve more mention here (click on link for more about the health benefits of exercise). The worst idea that a reader could come away with after reading the article in Time is that the best thing to do for your body is to restrict your food intake, not exercise, and focus all your energy on weight loss. Wrong (insert buzzing sound here!).
In truth, a better way to go is to have a balanced approach to your food intake, exercise for health, pleasure and enjoyment, and not focus exceedingly on the number on your scale.
Aside from eating disorder issues, muscle does weigh more than fat, and exercise builds muscle. The scale is not the best determinant of health, though it can be a useful indicator.
For your quiz taking pleasure, here is an exercise and weight loss quiz that also addresses healthy weight loss.
For a highly accurate and helpful understanding of the role of exercise in weight loss and as part of a healthy life style, I highly recommend the resource The Exercise Balance by Pauline Powers and Ron Thompson.