Exercise has been traditionally considered as an important factor that contributes to weight loss, but new research by the National Institutes of Health says that it can actually make you lazier to hit the gym. Interestingly, the finding of study shows that mice who had one big spurt of physical exertion during the day tend to be lazier the rest of the time. It meant their total physical activity leveled out, and they were not getting any more exercise than they did prior the gym regime.
Timothy O'Neal, a government obesity researcher, led the research to understand why exercise seems to be ineffective for so many people in the United States. The application of the finding also deems to be significantly helpful to the people in the UK where there is an alarming health crisis among middle aged individuals. Sedentary lifestyle is the main culprit for most acute and chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular problems, and cancer.
According to the Daily Mail , to examine the issue of the effectivity of exercise, the study placed 15 mice in a room with running wheels. Initially, the introduction of a running wheel increased the daily caloric burn in the mice that led to weight loss. However, this leveled out after one week with the mice doing nothing else, indicating a plateau of daily energy expenditure, despite further increments in wheel use.
By the end of the study, the researchers have made the conclusion that the amount of exercise from the wheel use did not increase their total caloric burn. They also concluded that the mice showed an increase in appetite during the plateau, coupled with the decreased general energy to exercise resulted in the mice to unsuccessfully lose weight.
To counteract this effect, nutrition coach and yoga instructor, Alexandra Caspero, recommends that people should avoid using exercise as permission to eat more, the Food Network says. It's important to stay on track of the exercise and diet regimen despite some occasional setbacks. "Exercise is essential for overall health and longevity; weight loss should just be an added, possible benefit," she says.
