Does Exercise Help you Lose Weight?

The most recent issue of Time Magazine features a cover article with the prominent claim that exercise "won't make you lose weight". The article inside the issue goes on to claim that exercise offers little to no assistance in losing weight, for the reasons that most people feel hungrier after physical activity and therefore indulge in higher calorie foods, and because fatigue from exercise moderates their activity for the remainder of the day. The Runner's World blog, "Peak Performance", sets forth a cogent dissection of the Time Magazine article.

Basically, physical activity is not meant to be confined to a gym or segmented into a small portion of your day. Exercise is a way to develop a dynamic lifestyle that makes you more open to engaging in all kinds of activities. Instead of vegging out on the couch for the rest of the day after a workout, you would hopefully be more likely to go on a walk with your family, swim on a beautiful day, or bound up the stairs instead of opting out for the elevator.

The same is true for your diet choices - by integrating physical activity into your routine, you are developing a healthy lifestyle. Instead of "rewarding" myself with a donut after 5 miles on the treadmill, eating a banana gives me a boost of energy without an influx of unnecessary calories and it keeps me aligned with my overall goals.

Furthermore, exercise is about more than losing weight! Dr. Ronald Davis, president of the American Medical Association, writes:

Physical inactivity is a fast-growing public health problem in this country, and contributes to a variety of chronic diseases and health complications, including obesity, coronary artery disease, cancer, depression and anxiety, arthritis, and osteoporosis. Increasing physical activity can prevent and cure many chronic conditions, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and joint pain, while improving a patient's overall health. By engaging in 30 minutes of moderate exercise (such as a brisk walk) on most days each week, many patients will be able to get off medications for those conditions—thus avoiding the potentially harmful side effects those drugs can cause.

Exercise is a vital part of living healthfully. Each of us has our own goals for our selves and our bodies, and hopefully, despite this disparaging article, we will continue to integrate exercise and physical activity into our daily routines.