It seems that every few months, an article appears disparaging the value of exercise for weight loss. The latest is "
Why Doesn't Exercise Lead to Weight Loss?" from the Health section of the
The New York Times.
The article posits that because a
study of 58 obese subjects who did 12 weeks of aerobic exercise at 70 percent of their max heart rate (i.e., steady-state cardio) -- without changing their diets -- resulted in, on average, just a seven-pound weight loss over that time period, exercise doesn't play much of a role in weight loss. (Never mind that an unmonitored diet means the tendency to disproportionately increase food intake once you start exercising was also unmonitored.)
Writer Gretchen Reynolds also points to a
study on the "afterburn effect" -- the tendency for the body to burn an elevated number of calories for hours after a workout -- that concluded afterburn was a bust. Yet strangely, the type of exercise used in the study was relatively low-intensity -- an hourlong cycle at just 55 percent of aerobic capacity.
What makes this strange -- and noteworthy -- is that it's usually high-intensity activities that are thought to trigger the afterburn effect.
As someone working for a publication that strives to provide both depth and breadth of information, this sort of half-picture presentation is disturbing to me. When did journalists set exercise up as the antidote to terrible eating habits? The kind of thing that maybe we shouldn't bother with if we aren't seeing dramatic weight loss no matter what we're eating and drinking? When did we stop differentiating between different intensity levels of exercise? Between cardio and weightlifting, and their many subsets?
Perhaps, rather than renouncing the role exercise -- that vague catchall -- plays in weight loss, we should focus on the synergy that occurs when you make specific lifestyle
and exercise choices. Rather than make sweeping generalizations and dismissals, let's dig into the details about what type of exercise has what type of effect, and the impact eating nutrient-dense foods has in supporting our fitness goals, regardless of how much and in what ways we're moving. The devil -- and devil dog -- is in these details.
There are a huge number of places to get great fitness information, on the web and otherwise -- and most of the people providing said information work in the trenches of the fitness industry, so they're witnessing firsthand what works (and doesn't). A few of my favorite sources that have covered the topic of fat loss (I'm positive I'm overlooking quite a few -- my apologies!): Alwyn Cosgrove, Leigh Peele, Mike Roussell, Robert Dos Remedios, Sara Cheatham, Michael Boyle, Josh Hillis, Jason C. Brown, Pamela MacElree and Craig Ballantyne.
The last time this happened -- August 9, to be exact, when
Time published the hysteria-inducing article "
Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin" -- a number of reliable fitness experts crafted thoughtful rebuttals. My favorite was by Tom Venuto, author of
The Body Fat Solution.
I think it applies nicely to this more recent article, as well -- take a few minutes to read it, and see what conclusions
you draw about the role exercise plays in weight loss: "
Why Time Magazine Owes the Fitness Industry a Big Fat Apology."
UPDATE: To read a response from Pilar Gerasimo, editor in chief of
Experience Life,
click here.
(photo credit:
LAYeiser)
Yesterday, in pursuit of making the traditional summer barbecue a shade healthier, guest blogger Pamela MacElree had us preparing brown rice and goat cheese apps and serving up fruits, veggies and cheese on a platter. Today, she tosses a simple salad idea our way. Tomorrow, the main course!
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