It’s January so naturally you sign up for that gym membership and hop on the bandwagon with all the other New Year resolution-makers. The gym is overwhelmingly crowded, and you find yourself placing bets on who will last more than a few weeks. Maybe you happen to be one of those people who start off gung-ho and then fizzle out as your busy life gets in the way or you may have not even signed up for the gym at all and are feeling guilty about it. If so, I have great news for you! Recent research shows that exercise isn’t very good at helping you lose weight.
We hear it all the time that people think they just need to get back into the gym and they would magically reach their goal weight. It seems that our society is solely focused on exercise to lose weight BUT….
…don’t be fooled! Exercise is not the answer to your prayers to fit back into your favorite skinny jeans. Although exercise is an essential component to a healthy lifestyle, you can spend hours in the gym pounding away on the treadmill and completely reverse the progress you made by your food choices.
It’s often typical that people reward themselves with indulgent foods after a grueling workout. You may think, “I worked hard today, so I earned that slice of pizza!” Well, when you exercise more often your appetite also increases making it easier to make poor food choices and that one pizza slice turns into two or three. There is also research that show exercise can make people more tired after their workout resulting in a more sluggish day.
If you leave the gym feeling accomplished with those calories you just burned, think again because exercise only accounts for a small portion of your daily calorie burn. According to Alexxai Kravitz, a neuroscientist and obesity researcher, as humans we receive 100% of our energy from food while exercise only burns 10-30% of this. This shows how essential the food we put into our body really is.
We’ve all heard the sayings like “abs are built in the kitchen!” or “you can’t out-train a bad diet!”, so put down that gluten free cupcake (its still a cupcake!) and fuel your body with what it deserves. When you work hard day in and day out, you deserve to give your body the highest quality, most nutrient dense foods and supplements.
This doesn’t mean to step off that treadmill quite yet. Exercise has been proven to have several health benefits and its important to find time in your daily schedule to be active. (check out this article to see 14 different benefits of exercise that are backed by research including prolonging your life!)
As humans we’re designed to move and be active whether you prefer long walks, high intensity boot-camp classes, yoga, or weight lifting. Finding the type of exercise that best suits your lifestyle is important, but knowing that exercise alone won’t help you reach your health goals is even more crucial. Find a style of exercise that makes you feel good while incorporating a balanced diet filled with high quality nutritious food and you’ll be on your way to a healthier you!
Want to learn more about how to lose weight without killing yourself at the gym? Cambiati Wellness is here to help! Simply call or email us for your no-cost breakthrough session.