It only takes a little Internet research or time in front of a TV to hear frequent debate on exercise and the role it plays in weight. In recent decades, research on nutrition and physical activity has both advanced knowledge and added some confusion to the discussion. Part of the resolution is in changing how society and individuals view health indicators such as weight.
Misconceptions
A number of fallacies are widely held within the American culture about various measurements of health, including type and/or amount of exercise and body weight.
Historically, people have believed a person's weight to be one of the most important indicators of health. In fact, a better gauge is body mass index, or BMI, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, refers to as a "reliable indicator of body fatness." BMI factors a person's height into the equation, in addition to their weight, to render a score that approximates the person's percentage of body fat.
Exercise preferences follow trends that often have more to do with cultural interactions than physiological science. From the time aerobics began in the late 1960s to the Pilates studios of the '90s to current worries about childhood obesity, men and women alike have been eager to find an activity that works for their lifestyle. At present, strength training and core training are the leading growth areas in types of exercise.
In late 2009, the American College of Sports Medicine, ACSM, reported an increasing trend toward consultations with fitness professionals, or personal trainers, by individuals who want to get and stay in shape. This trend may be due to individuals' confusion about which exercises are considered optimal.
How Exercise Can Decrease Weight
A recent study published on PLoS Biology explored the complicated hormonal and neuronal connections between activity level, diet and weight in rodents. The simple version of their findings is that exercise works at a hormonal level to promote weight loss.
How Exercise Can Increase Weight
Registered dietitian Keri Glassman recently explained on CBS how exercise can actually make a person gain weight. The most obvious reason, as described by Glassman, is because increased physical activity makes a person hungrier. If attention to calorie consumption is tossed out the window--which is often the case for individuals who feel "justified" in eating more because they've exercised--then it's common for people to eat more than they're burning.
The Nutrition Factor
According to Dr. Donald Hensrud with the Mayo Clinic, a lower-calorie diet is more effective for weight loss than exercise. The trick is maintaining a caloric intake that is adequate to just meet the needs of your body's activity level. Too many calories and not enough exercise equal no weight lost or, possibly, weight gain. Too few calories and too much exercise can result in over-stressing the body, resulting in health problems.
How to Find Balance
Glassman and others advise people to eat fiber-rich foods and those high in protein and "healthy fats" so you'll feel fuller when those ramped-up hunger pangs hit. Consider nutrition-dense foods to get the most benefit with fewer calories. If your goal is weight loss, Hensrud advises keeping in mind that 3,500 calories equals about one pound of fat, so cutting 500 calories each day in a week should equal a pound of weight dropped weekly. Adding exercise to that nutritional adjustment should boost your loss slightly. The bigger benefits of exercise are the rewards of increased cardiovascular functioning and mood stabilization.
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