The self-defeating “I exercise, therefore I nosh” syndrome

Researchers at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Louisiana were surprised, and you may be, too. They had conducted a research program that took three groups of overweight women and had them engage in different levels of physical activity while maintaining their normal eating habits.

After six months, the group that exercised at a moderate level for an average 72 minutes per week had lost two to three pounds, just an anticipated. Those putting in more than two hours of such activity per week lost a little more than four pounds, also right on the money. And those who engaged in three hours of the same activity lost . . . two to three pounds. No better than the first group, and far less than the expected six pounds. Oops.

The researchers’ explanation: people are notorious for overestimating how many calories they burn, whatever the activity involved, and those putting in the full three hours a week apparently felt more inclined, and more calorically able, to reward themselves with extra food indulgences. The reality is, unless you are already at your healthy target weight, you can’t afford to consider any amount of exercise as a license to eat more.

And don’t be discouraged by what may seem a pitifully small return for all your effort: just a few pounds lost in six months. Even if you only lose ten ounces, the Pennington research indicates that it will be the ten ounces that represent a greatest hazard to your health: belly fat.

Every woman who exercised saw some decrease in this adipose evil, by an average of two inches around the waist for those who lost some weight, but one inch even for those who lost no weight at all. Belly fat, as you may know, has been linked to heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some cancers. So crank up that Stairmaster.

Let kids be kids. In fact, make them.

Every day seems to bring new evidence that today’s youth are becoming dangerously sedentary. From a number of sources over the past few days have come various tips and suggestions on how to increase the amount of exercise that your children get. A quick summation:

• Kick them out of the house. Especially in winter, when the chill in the air is an incentive for them to keep moving. For how long? Well, guidelines suggest that children and teenagers should put in at least an hour of moderate to vigorous activity each day. At the very minimum, make them walk the dog.
• Go out there with them. Hey, you could probably use the exercise yourself, and by joining them in some recreational activity you will both set a good example for the younger ones and be on hand to ensure that the older ones don’t slack off or head for the nearest junk food merchant. The key is, so far as you’re physically able, to do whatever activity they want to do: jump rope, play hopscotch, shoot baskets, play catch, ride bikes, play tag, skate, play soccer, ice skate, play tennis, throw the Frisbee, break out the hula hoop. If everything is covered with snow, fine, build a snowman together, or have a snowball fight. Try to find 20 minutes a day that you can just, well, go out and play.
• If going outside is impractical (too cold, too late, too urban, too hazardous) consider physically interactive video games. New ones hit the market daily, and it’s hard to imagine a sport or outdoor activity that doesn’t have at least one Wii or other video version. Some suggestions: Let the kids pick the games, because those are the ones they’ll actually play. Have some active games that can be played alone, without the need for partners or opponents. Use age-appropriate games; an activity requiring more skill or coordination than the child has developed will just put him or her off. Don’t mistake video games for real physical exercise of the outdoor variety.
• Think about moving to Colorado. The legislature there is considering a law that would require elementary schools to provide 30 minutes of gym and/or recess time to make structured physical activity a regular part of every school day. That is probably more than your present school system requires, and given the current reluctance of most localities to devote any school time or school money to anything other than academics, it might be easier to move to Denver than to change your local school board’s policies.

(By Robert S. Wieder for CalorieLab Calorie Counter News)

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 25th, 2009 and is filed under Exercise and fitness, Food miscellaneous, Kids and families, Nutrition. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed. Permalink.