A Point That Can't Be Emphasized Enough.

Check out this article, forwarded to me by my good friend and highly respected fitness peer, Eugene Thong.

New York Magazine Presents:

The Scientist and the Stairmaster: Why most of us believe that exercise makes us thinner - and why we're wrong.  By Gary Taubes

Pay particular attention to the information on the final page (p. 5).  In summary, Mr. Taubes writes:

"The one thing that might be said about exercise with certainty is that it tends to make us hungry.  Maybe not immediately, but eventually.  Burn more calories and the odds are very good that we'll consume more as well.  And this simple fact alone might explain both the scientific evidence and a nation's worth of sorely disappointing anecdotal experience."

"The job of determining how fuels (glucose and fatty acids) will be used, whether we will store them as fat or burn them for energy, is carried out primarily by the hormone insulin in concert with an enzyme known technically as lipoprotein lipase -- LPL, for short."

". . . during a workout, LPL activity increases in muscle tissue, and so our muscle cells suck up fatty acids to use for fuel.  Then, when we're done exercising, LPL activity in the muscle tissue tapers off and LPL activity in our fat tissue spikes, pulling calories into fat cells." (the body is working for homeostasis)

". . . Contemplating the means by which we might lose weight without considering the hormonal regulation of fat tissue is like wondering why children grow taller without considering the role of growth hormones."

"Since insulin is the primary hormone affecting the activity of LPL on our cells, it's not surprising that insulin is the primary regulator of how fat we get. . . Because insulin determines fat accumulation, it's quite possible that we get fat not because we eat too much or exercise too little, but because we secrete too much insulin or because insulin levels remain elevated far longer than might be ideal."

". . .it's carbohydrates -- particularly easily digestible carbohydrates and sugars -- that primarily stimulate insulin secretion.  'Carbohydrates is driving insulin is driving fat,' says George Cahill Jr, a retired Harvard professor of medicine and expert on insulin. . .  So maybe if we eat fewer carbohydrates -- in particular the easily digestible simple carbohydrates and sugars -- we might lose considerable fat or at least not gain any more, whether we exercise or not.  This would explain the slew of recent clinical trials demonstrating that dieters who restrict carbohydrates but not calories invariably lose more weight than dieters who restrict calories but not necessarily carbohydrates."

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I can see the initial reactions to this article now. . . Clients thinking, "Great.  What's the point of exercising now, being that it won't do much for me."  Or fitness professionals shunning this information because they feel it threatens the validity of their career choice.

Understandable reactions?  Perhaps.  Misguided?  I think so.

Activity in the form of exercise can do a lot for you.  But it's important to keep the proper perspective on what exercise delivers, in and of itself:

• Enhanced performance.  Whether you're young or old, rehabbing or injury-free, a novice or an elite athlete, the guaranteed result of exercise (read: strength training), if performed correctly, is enhancement of variables such as strength, stability, power and endurance.
• Enjoyment.  Whether you're learning to connect mind with body, competing (with yourself or against others) or simply moving for the sake of moving.

Exercise is not a "magic bullet" that provides the end all, be all solution to fat loss.  And if it was, it's not capable of handling the task.  It's only a small part of a lifestyle that also consists of emotional and mental well-being, rest and recovery and quality nutrition.

This is why you've seen me rant in the past over the twisted mindset of the individual(s) who proclaim, "I don't care about health as long as I look good!"  If you don't care about health, if you don't pay attention to your lifestyle . . . if you don't do things like minimize ingestion of sugar to keep your insulin levels in check, you'll severely reduce the chance of reaching your physique goal.  And if you do reach it, it will likely be short-lived.

Avoid looking at exercise as the sole answer to fat loss.  Stop trying to out-smart human biology and out-train crappy nutrition.  Wise up and fully embrace a healthy lifestyle . . . and your long-term, optimal fat loss results should be just around the corner.