Let’s start with the good news. Americans are finally exercising more. According to a Universiy of Washington study, the number of women who exercise “sufficiently” rose from 50.7 percent to 59.2 percent, while the number of male exercisers rose from 59.4 percent to 63.2 percent over the span of ten years (2001-2011).
Now for the bad news. While we are exercising more, we continue to grow fatter. Of the hundreds of counties included in the study, only nine saw a reduction in obesity rates, while several saw those numbers escalate.
According to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, 35.7 percent of American adults and 17 percent of children are now considered obese. But how could this be if the research shows we are exercising more than ever?
First, we need to consider the term “sufficient exercise.” According to the study, “sufficient” translated into 150 minutes of “moderate” activity or 75 minutes of “vigorous” activity weekly. Also, these statistics were based on self-reporting, which may not be completely accurate as many tend to overestimate their intensity levels.
While 150 minutes of “moderate” exercise is indeed better than none, fitness professionals note that while this magic number may help maintain current weight, it more than likely won’t be enough to shed the hundreds of extra pounds Americans are lugging around.
So what is the answer? According to the American Council on Exercise, there are two factors that contribute to successful weight loss: consistent exercise and proper diet. Too often, people choose to focus on only one, opting to either starve off the weight with a fad diet or begin an exercise routine without making changes to their poor eating habits.
The end result for both techniques may be an initial drop in pounds, which is inevitably followed by regained weight. This has both physical and psychological consequences.
The individuals who are the most successful at both losing the weight and keeping it off over the years implement a combination of diet and exercise. The National Weight Control Registry, founded in 1994, tracks the habits of thousands of people nationwide who have successfully lost large quantities of weight and kept it off.
According to their findings, 89 percent of people who have successfully maintained weight loss did so through both diet and exercise. Ten percent were able to do so through diet alone, and only one percent through exercise alone.
So while beginning an exercise routine is the first step to battling the bulge, those 150 minutes will only get you so far. Gradually implement small changes into your diet to see the best results.
Avoid fad diets that restrict calories to an extreme or promise unrealistic results, especially as you increase your exercise levels, and keep in mind that as you become more fit, you will need to up the intensity to burn more calories. Combining these techniques is the only surefire way to kiss those extra pounds goodbye for the long haul.
-The Alternative Daily
Sources:
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/americans-are-fitter-yet-fatter-why.html
http://www.pophealthmetrics.com/content/11/1/7
http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/exercise-obesity-u-s-report-article-1.1396623
http://www.acefitness.org/acefit/fitness-fact-article/2678/weight-loss-diet-vs-exercise
http://www.nwcr.ws
http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/index.html
