When it comes to optimizing your health and losing weight, starting an exercise program along with an improved diet that's ideally based on your body's unique nutritional type are the key tools you need to be successful. And, exercising over the long term will keep off those extra pounds too, according to a new study.
Researchers at the University of North Carolina measured the effect of exercise by dividing some 200 patients into two groups: A control group who were assigned a standard behavioral treatment amounting to 30 minutes of exercise daily or a high activity group prescribed an exercise plan (75 minutes of daily exercise) designed to burn 2,500 calories a week.
No surprise, the high activity group lost far more weight than the control group over 12 and 18 months. The interesting twist came, however, after the "official" end of the 18-month study period, when scientists evaluated the health of patients once again at the 30-month mark.
Most exercisers in the high activity group let their training slide as did the control group, resulting no differences in weight loss or activity between either group. Nevertheless, a small group of patients in the high activity group who stuck to their exercise regimen after the study's end maintained that high weight loss and their bodies required fewer calories and less fat too.
Over the years, the reputation of exercise has grown significantly in beating a wide range of health conditions from Alzheimer's, to colds and cancer. As the study brilliantly shows, the key is treating exercise like a drug that must be precisely prescribed to do the most good.
The average person gains just under one pound during the holiday season, and while bigger meals and rich foods are partly to blame, one of the biggest culprits is just "nibbling" throughout the day.
A new book on the market has added up the extra calories in 7,500 foods, and the author says those who are the worst at estimating how many calories they're actually eating are the people who grab a bite here and there throughout the day. Why? When we nibble we don't feel like we're really eating, yet those extra calories add up.
It takes just 500 extra calories a day during the holiday season to gain about a pound, and research shows most people have not lost the extra weight by spring. Some of the worst culprits, based on calories and how long a 155-pound person would need to exercise to burn them off, include:
1. A half-pound of prime rib (230 minutes of yoga to burn off)
2. A Starbucks Caramel Macchiato (38 minutes of bicycling)
3. Burger King Whopper (173 minutes of walking)
4. A piece of fruitcake (84-minute walk)
5. Premium ice cream (72 minutes to walk off 1/2 cup)
Of course, rather than focusing on what you shouldn't be eating, I recommend focusing on what you should: A diet based on your nutritional type will keep you from gaining weight and should help you lose weight if you need to (all by eating tasty, wholesome foods that your body needs).
Author Resource:-
Charles Volcolatte is a health and weight loss researcher for www.skinnyasap.com. He writes and researches actively on Weight Loss Information and shares his knowledge at www.skinnyasap.com where he works as a staff writer.
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.massagebyben.com/articles/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites 