Exercise: Friend or Foe?

Time magazine published a feature article this past week about "Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin". Far be it from me (a gal who has spent half her life studying exercise) to argue with the author, John Cloud, for profiling exercise in a predominantly negative light. I agree, losing weight is much more about what we eat and where we stand mentally/emotionally than simply spending hours on the treadmill. Let's take a closer look at a few common fitness beliefs to see how we can apply this information to our highest benefit:

1) Exercise burns calories which in turn helps us lose weight. The fact that exercise burns calories is true, and we can tweak how many calories we burn in a session by the intensity with which we exercise. However, it takes way more energy to burn calories through exercise than it does to simply just not eat as much. As we commit to more and more exercise, we may be left feeling worn-down and even more hungry.
Solution: Don't try to kill yourself with every workout. Make sure you still have enough energy on most days to do your "chores", play with your kids, etc. Surround yourself with healthy food choices so you are combining your exercise with a balanced diet/post-workout snack rather than binging after your exercise session.
2) When I exercise, it will automatically help me make better food choices. Unfortunately, when we rev up our metabolism from increasing our exercise, our body will tend to want to increase its drive for caloric intake as well. In Brian Wansinks studies on mindless eating, he found that out of 1,004 Americans surveyed, 86% sought out comfort foods when they were happy, and 74% when they wanted to celebrate or reward themselves. In other words, when we feel we have accomplished something, like completing a hard workout, we might lean toward rewarding ourselves with food. Not a great combo when trying to shed pounds.
Solution: Take the mindless eating challenge. It's free and could save you hundreds in unnecessary calories, simply by staying aware and making small, painless adjustments in your eating habits.
3) I have to run or lift weights to get an effective weight loss workout. As much as I love both running and weights, every one of us has different needs when it comes to exercise. Our personalities have a huge impact on what type of movement we enjoy, and what our bodies typically need most. However, doing any activity that gets your moving, smiling and generally getting our stress out is the primary goal.
Solution: You don't have to do what your neighbor does or things that simply drive you nuts. Commit to something you genuinely enjoy and do it consistently. I have some suggestions based on personality type here.

Overall, my response is that exercise can make you thin when it is used for the right reasons, with the right expectations, and in combination with many other life-style habits that contribute to wellness. These things might include getting consistently good sleep, eating mindfully and sticking closely to a balanced diet, drinking plenty of water, and surrounding ourselves with good relationships and work environments. Our individual health does not simply follow a single stream, it has multiple tributaries that create our river of life.