“Healthy Monday is our way of kicking off the week with useful health tips, information or news put together by our team of Health Consultants.”
In an age when everyone is trying to stay fit and trim, it might come as a surprise that the result of a new research claims that exercise is in fact what is stopping us shedding those extra weight!
The survey conducted by the Weightloss and Health Institute (WHI) asked over 1000 Australians to share whether their exercise and weight loss methods had proven effective. Over half of those who participated in the research admitted that although they exercise, they can’t seem to attain their weight loss goals.
The biggest factor the WHI found that was leading to unattainable weight loss goals was the direct link between strenuous exercise and the need to ‘reward’ or ‘treat’ yourself after your workout.
Results also found that those who solely exercised to lose weight would disregard their diet – with 53 per cent admitting they actually eat more after exercising and 41 per cent rewarding themselves with sugary treats after.
Leading Australian weight loss coach Geoff Jowett says this ‘reward system’ is one of the most common reasons why exercise is leading to weight gain.
‘It’s been found that statistically if women participate in strenuous exercise they are likely to reward themselves after with something sweet,’ says Jowett.
‘What happens is they will do a Cross Fit class then go and eat a piece of cake because they think they deserve it. Which means you can become fit and fat at the same time,’ he said.
Another study conducted by Arizona State University also recently found similar results when they studied the effects of aerobic exercise on overweight women. The researchers asked 81 women who had a sedentary lifestyle to participate in a 12 week aerobic exercise program involving three treadmill sessions a week. They were also asked not to alter their diet.
The end result found that while the participants were more fit after twelve weeks of being in the program, they also were fatter! There was no noticeable weight loss among the group and almost 70 per cent of the women had piled on some fat mass during the program.
Jowett says the important thing to note is that fitness and weight loss are different ball games. He believes it’s a 80/20 ratio with 80 per cent being about what we eat and 20 per cent exercise.
The solution Jowett recommends is to separate fitness and weight loss. Address the weight issue first by taking steps towards healthy eating and then also adopt a simple 10,000 step a day approach.
Have a healthy week!
