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Sree Vijaykumar | From the Editor's Desk
The biggest myth spread by large food companies (and governments) is that lack of exercise is primarily responsible for the obesity problem. In fact, even saying that lack of exercise and bad food habits are equally responsible is far from the truth. There are three main components to energy expenditure: 1) basal metabolic rate, or the energy used for basic functioning when the body is at rest; 2) the energy used to break down food; and 3) the energy used in physical activity. We have no control on 1) or 2) and this is 70 to 90 percent of our energy expenditure. Only 10 to 30 percent is used for 3) physical activity, of which exercise is only a subset. So, any amount of exercise you do attacks a single digit percentage of your body's energy needs, which is why exercise without diet control is useless in losing weight. You cannot out-exercise a bad diet. Wait, it gets worse. The more you stress your body, there could be changes physiologically - compensatory mechanisms that change given the level of exercise you're pushing yourself at. In other words, our bodies may actively fight our efforts to lose weight. Before you give up that gym membership, note that exercise comes with many many benefits, including reduced blood pressure, lower triglycerides and reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, stroke, alzheimer's and dementia. - Comment | |
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