"Exercise Won't Make You Thin"
Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin is the title of a recent article written by John Cloud for Time Magazine (http://bit.ly/nNK4m). To sum up the article Cloud basically sites studies claiming that exercise doesn't do anything in terms of weight management and has even found a few experts backing this up. He claims that the more we move, the hungrier we get and therefore the more we eat. He even goes as far to say that not only do we eat, we overeat. The ultimate conclusion, exercise is making us fat!
What?!?!
Some of the points he makes are valid and yes, he has found research to back them up. However, we need to remember that research studies are usually conducted in very controlled environments and situations. For example; the study published in PLoS ONE had 4 different groups of women working with Personal Trainers for varying times a week. The women in the study were specifically told NOT to change their dietary habits during this time. Which means that the trainer was most likely not able to advise or counsel on any nutritional aspects and most likely was not able to suggest any other lifestyle modifications to promote weight loss. In other words, these women didn't really get the full effect of personal training. They had someone design an exercise program for that allotted time slot (perhaps even the same program for everyone versus individually designed) and take them through the motions. As any of you reading this who have worked with a Personal Trainer before know, that's just not what Personal Training is.
A Personal Trainer is not just someone who is there to count your reps and check your technique. Yes, these are aspects of their job however education and individualized program prescription for the client is their first and foremost responsibility. I have yet to hear a fitness professional congratulate their client on a great session and then tell them to celebrate by eating a pizza. Sure, maybe the client has noticed that they are feeling a bit hungrier but that doesn't mean that they should indulge in whatever they feel like. In this day and age, with all the health, fitness and nutrition information out there, I have a hard time believing that anyone actually believes this as well. Honestly, who thinks working out for 60 minutes a few times a week grants you a license to eat whatever you want!
In my opinion, Cloud is obviously looking for publicity and a way to increase readership in Time magazine and I guarantee this will work. Funny that he talks about the conspiracy of play places in fast food restaurants, but what about his underlying motivation to write this article.
With over 10 years in the fitness industry, client and personal experience shows me that when a person is exercising, they actually have an increased energy level, making it easier to enjoy other activities such as playing with their kids, walking up stairs and going for an evening stroll. People engaged in a fitness program overseen by a professional also tend to make better food choices as they have the education, accountability and support to do so, PLUS they quickly realize how much better they feel when fueling their body correctly.
All in all this article had me pretty fired up. I have dedicated my career and it is my passion to get people moving and buy into the value of exercise. The last thing the North American population needed was another reason not to get moving and to not include exercise in their weight loss goals. Trust me on this one, we do not have an overweight and obesity problem because we are doing too much exercise!!
Questions or comments, I would love to hear them!
In Health,
Jessica & Tristan Zapata
No comments:
Post a Comment