Lose weight from exercise; find out scientifically how your body burns calories and why exercise is not always effective in fighting fat. Sports can improve health and lose weight. However, this may not be enough to achieve the set goal. Today we will tell you why fitness classes do not help you lose weight. And this is large because one does not change other aspects of his lifestyle. This article contains research findings on the relationship between exercise and weight loss.
Coaches at the gym often claim that after eating too much today it is possible to eliminate all the negative effects of this with the help of an exercise bike or treadmill. This topic is also actively discussed by celebrities and natural food producers. Many people believe everything they have heard and as a result the sales of subscriptions to gyms, sports nutrition products as well as all kinds of video time with exercises increase significantly.
Unfortunately, most of the statements actually turn out to be wrong and this is one of the answers to the question of why exercise classes do not help you lose weight? Contrary to popular belief, exercise alone will not help you lose weight. The fact is that all our energy during the day comes from food. Even if you exercise every day, you can only burn 10-30 percent of the calories you get.
Few people know that physical activity activates various changes in the body that have a serious effect on energy consumption, expenditure, and final weight. This suggests that while maintaining a normal lifestyle and attending the gym, you should not seriously rely on significant weight loss results.
But to improve health, exercise is very useful. However, let’s just stop talking about sports and their effects on body weight and focus on healthcare. International organizations have now officially announced the obesity epidemic. At the same time, accusations are often made against the low physical activity of the population and their consumption of calories. This is basically true. But other factors cannot be ruled out. First, it is necessary to start a serious war with the poor quality of food that has flooded our supermarkets.
How does the body deplete energy?
Let’s start a conversation about why fitness classes do not help you lose weight, with the research of the famous anthropologist Herman Pontzer (Hunter College in New York City). He researched the lifestyle of the Hadza tribe living in Tanzania. These people still live on hunting and gathering.
It is quite obvious that their way of life cannot be called sedentary and Pontzer was sure that these were real machines for burning energy. For most of the day, men have to hunt and chase prey, while women gather berries and roots. It was during Hadza’s research that one could rely on the confirmation of the truth that many people know – sedentary imagery is about blaming obesity. The scientist’s research continued for two years.
Pontzer selected 17 women and 13 men aged 18–75. To measure the ratio of consumption to the energy consumed, the anthropologist used a popular method of labeled atoms. Today, it is considered the most appropriate way to determine the amount of carbon dioxide that the body releases from burning energy.
The results of a two-year study turned out to be very interesting. Representatives of the tribe spend a little more energy during the day than the people of Western countries. In fact, these indicators are equal if you do not take into account a possible measurement error. In truth, we note that this study can be considered superficial, as only thirty people participated in it.
But the question of why hoza, with constant movement, consumes the same energy as the people of Europe, has arisen. We all know that the body not only expends energy in performing various movements. All tissues and organs require certain calories to maintain their effectiveness. This happens every day, even when the person is asleep.
Scientists have long been aware of this fact but did not take it into account when studying the obesity epidemic. Based on the results of his research, Pontzer pointed out that there is no difference in energy consumption between Hodza and us due to the special workings of the African body, which conserves calories. It is possible that they rest better after doing physical work.
However, we cannot get an exact answer right now, as scientists are just starting to work in this direction. There are important factors that we do not yet know about. First, we are talking about the possibility of influencing the body’s energy consumption through exercise. Pontzer is sure that there are no obese people among Hodza due to the lack of overtime. The results of this study allow us to say that it is impossible to speed up the fatty acid process simply by increasing physical activity.
What effect does exercise have on human health?
People who want to lose weight often make the same mistakes – hoping for only one method. Especially fitness classes. If you continue to eat large amounts of fatty foods at the same time, you will definitely not be able to achieve positive results.
However, we do not want to say that it is necessary to eat only one protein compound. A similar approach to catering will also not be correct. All micro-nutrients and nutrients should be present in the diet. However, it is necessary to replace simple carbohydrates with complex carbohydrates. Nutritionists also talk about the need for a good breakfast, a moderate dinner, and in no case skipping meals.
It must be remembered that our metabolism can surprise you at any time if you do not eat right. You should not eat a lot of food before the lesson begins. However, we do not recommend exercising on an empty stomach. In such a situation, the body will not have enough energy and most likely it will start consuming not fat but muscle tissue.
You probably get used to eating right before you start your workout, but you may feel uncomfortable for a while. You should also not “close the window” after exercise. At least we are talking about the use of carbohydrates, but protein compounds in such a situation will not be unnecessary.
Many people wonder how long an exercise should be. Here you should experiment because each of us has a special body. However, 20 minutes is clearly not enough for a valid lesson. At the same time, a two-hour marathon should be canceled. We recommend exercising for one hour, a maximum of one and a half hours. At the same time, monitor your well-being and make changes if necessary.
However, let’s return to research on the relationship between sports and health. Many studies suggest that exercising regularly without lifestyle changes can lead to significant health benefits. So a group of independent scientists found that moderate exercise leads to the following positive results:
- Blood pressure drops.
- The balance of fat protein structures is normal.
- The risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease is reduced.
There is also information on the positive effects of sports on cognitive function. Those who exercise regularly are more susceptible to Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. In addition, brain function improves and individuals showed better results and tests to determine their level of intelligence.
Why not exercise will help you lose weight without additional factors?
We have already understood that physical activity can be beneficial for the body. However, the answer to the question of why exercise classes do not help you lose weight has not been received. The results of a study were published in the United States a few years ago. Participants in the short-term experiment (about 20 weeks) lost weight. But in the long run (more than 26 weeks) this did not happen anymore.
Most people continue to think in a formulaic way – they got energy from food, went to the gym, and burned extra calories. In 1958, scientist Max Wishnofsky adopted a rule used by most clinics and medical journals. It says that 0.5 kilos of fat in the human body corresponds to 3500 calories. So if you create a 500-calorie daily energy deficit, you can lose half a pound of body weight per week.
However, modern scientists are convinced that this hypothesis is very simplistic and in fact, the situation turns out to be more complicated. They are increasingly talking about the energy balance of our body, as a balanced system. Any change in external conditions causes a chain of reactions. For example, suppose you have created an energy deficit with a nutrition and exercise program. Therefore, within a certain time, your body adapts to this and you stop losing weight. Many researchers believe that it is best to use a combination of exercise with a reduction in the energy value of the diet for weight loss.
It is not often that a fitness instructor, and many nutritionists, remember that with exercise you can get rid of only a small part of the calories that enter the body. The only exception is professionals who exercise as much as often as possible. However, such activities can hardly be called healthy.
In total, researchers identify three areas where the body consumes energy:
- To maintain the performance of all systems.
- For food processing.
- For movement.
The highest caloric intake is found in the first case. Actually. This is our primary metabolism, which we can hardly control. According to available research, it is on average 60 to 80 percent of all energy consumption. This tells us why exercise classes do not help you lose weight. To achieve the desired results, an integrated approach is necessary. If you decide to start playing sports, you need to change your whole lifestyle.