Fitness Goals

It's easy to misunderstand proper fitness routines and how they relate to weight loss. Everyone knows that you simply need to work out more and more continually, and you'll see the pounds melt away, right?

Not so much. People often expect just that – they push themselves to exercise more, to exercise harder than ever. Yet, they don't always see the weight loss they expect. The science community has several theories about why this happens.

Increased Food Intake

That sudden spike in exercise can easily lead to eating more. Even more dangerous is when that post-workout meal is seen as a reward for a job well done. You earned it, right?

It's not necessarily that there's something wrong with finding ways to motivate and reward yourself for progress. The problem stems from the ratio of work to rewards. Studies have shown that it's all too common for people to overestimate their burned calories. A recent study had participants spend time exercising on a treadmill. When they finished, they were asked to guess how many calories they burned, and then eat from a buffet to match that calorie count.

You probably know where this is going now. The average participant guessed they had burned around 800 calories. They proceeded to – thankfully – overestimate their food choices and consumed 550 calories worth of buffet items. The rub? Their actual workout total was only about 200 calories.

Reduced Movement

This sounds counterintuitive, but hear us out. Much like when people improperly compensate or reward themselves with food for a workout well done, they can just as easily reward themselves with a lack of activity. After all, after an intense gym session, what sounds better than going home and spreading out on the sofa? The idea is when people overcompensate for their activity with the lack of it, they see diminished results.

Your Body Adapts

While some other ideas can be debatable, one thing seems more certain, according to researchers: The adaptability of the human body. The idea is that by working out regularly, the body, in turn, spends less energy regulating many common functions, such as digestion and the immune system. In short, routine fitness helps make these systems more efficient, reducing their calorie usage.

Weight Loss: 20% Exercise, 80% Diet.

It won't shock you to learn that research confirms that regular physical activity directly influences your ability to both lose weight and maintain it. But the science behind this isn't as clear to people:

• Stronger bones and muscles don't just come from drinking milk, no matter what those commercials may lead you to believe. Frequent exercise is good at any age: For younger people, it helps develop stronger bones. For older people, staying fit can counteract the loss of bone density.
• Frequent exercise helps manage the body's insulin and lower blood sugar levels. Also, this lower blood sugar helps make insulin production more efficient. All of this cuts down on the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
• Exercise also has a positive effect on sleep, allowing the body to sleep more soundly and even fall asleep faster.
• By keeping in shape and working out regularly, the human body has a lower risk of developing many types of cancer, including lung, breast, and colon cancer.
• Working out helps the body produce chemicals that improve one's mood. These chemicals help to stave off depression and stress, two factors that can negatively effect potential weight loss.

Our Medical Weight Loss pathway includes working with a personal trainer to identify how best to incorporate exercise into your new lifestyle. You will begin with individual appointments and group fitness opportunities, with an end-goal of a self-sustaining, long-term plan to continue your weight-loss success.

Further Reading

A solid fitness plan is just one part of your overall wellness. Contact us today to find out how we believe our program as a whole will help you move to a healthy and sustainable lifestyle that includes: