You Can’t Exercise Enough To Lose Weight

Time magazine recently published an article on exercising for weight loss that has received quite a reception from the fitness industry.  There has been a rather strident outcry from the fitness industry on this subject, as evidenced by response from the American College of Sports Medicine.  For an even more poignant response, you can see Tom Venuto’s (Burn The Fat) demand for an apology.  Quite frankly, I’m not sure I understand the furor.  To be honest, I agree with what the author.  The essence of his article is that it isn’t possible to exercise enough to lose weight if you have poor eating habits.  My personal experience with daily exercise and weight loss tells me he’s right.

Why You Can’t Exercise Enough To Lose Weight

The author starts off by citing statistics about the growth of the fitness industry in the U.S., which has grown dramatically over the last 20 years.  At the same time, obesity rates have skyrocketed.  If more people are exercising, why are our collective waistlines expanding?  He goes on to briefly discuss some of the math behind the assertion, with several research articles that support his argument.  He ends by stating that the current model for fitness, which involves short duration high intensity workouts, may not be the “healthiest” approach to fitness.  But rather, because of evolutionary processes, we may be better served by engaging in long duration, low intensity workouts (i.e. walking).  At no time, does he say “…people shouldn’t exercise…”

His assertion is a mathematical fact.  No matter how much you exercise, if you eat poorly, you will not lose weight.  Let me say it again – I know from experience that when I’ve made it a habit to overeat, I can’t exercise enough to lose weight.  One of the points the author seemed to be trying to make is that for the vast majority of Americans, it’s extremely difficult to meet the “suggested” guidelines for exercise activities.  Recommendations keep rising.  At one time, recommendations were 30-minutes, 3 times per week.  Now they’re at 60-90 minutes/day, most days of the week.  If you’re in the fitness industry, that’s a readily attainable goal.  If you’re a professional athlete, its perfectly reasonable.  However, if you’re a regular Joe with a job, spouse, kids, house, and all the day-to-day responsibilities that go with them, it can be extremely tough to fit in time for exercise.

Now – I’m not saying people shouldn’t exercise, because there are a myriad of benefits to exercise.  I’m a proponent of regular exercise.  It does help keep weight under control, relieve stress, reduce cortisol, increases bone density, improves cardiovascular function, reduces cholesterol, increases HDL, increase lean body mass, and the list goes on, and on.  This is why I’ve made it a habit to exercise regularly.

All I’m saying is that he has a point, and it’s valid.  All the exercise in the world won’t compensate for over-consumption of calories.

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