Exercise isn’t simply good for your health; it also helps with weight management. While studies show that exercise alone doesn’t lead to massive weight loss, it’s an important part of your weight control arsenal. What you might not know are the many ways exercise keeps those extra inches of body fat from showing up where you don’t want them. If you ask most people, they’ll say working out controls weight because you burn more calories during a workout. But that’s only one-way exercise helps you maintain a healthy body weight. Let’s look at other ways exercise helps you stay lean.
Exercise Boosts Insulin Sensitivity
When you have better insulin sensitivity, you’re healthier but improvements in insulin sensitivity also help with weight loss and weight control. High insulin sensitivity is a marker of good metabolic health. When your cells are sensitive to and respond well to insulin, they take up glucose faster, and your pancreas doesn’t have to release as much insulin to get glucose into cells That’s beneficial for weight control, as more insulin circulating in your bloodstream makes it easier for your body to store fat and harder to break it down.
There are more benefits too. By improving your insulin sensitivity through exercise, you lower your risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Research shows even one exercise session enhances insulin sensitivity by 16 hours after a workout. It’s another reason to lace up your exercise shoes!
Exercise May Stymy Your Appetite
Research looking at the effects of exercise on appetite is mixed. Some studies show that exercise reigns in appetite and reduces the desire to eat unhealthy foods, while others find the opposite – working out boosts hunger and the desire to eat. If exercise makes you hungry, there is a risk that’ll you’ll eat more after a workout. Why do some people get hungry after a workout while others experience a drop in appetite? It may have something to do with your body size.
Studies show obese people seem to get an upsurge in brain regions involved in appetite after exercise, while leaner people do not. Depending on your response to exercise, working out may calm your appetite for several hours. It’s important to know how you respond, so keep a food diary and document how hungry you are on a scale of one to five after each workout. Also, monitor your food intake and be realistic about how many calories you just burned.
Exercise Gives Your Metabolism a Subtle Boost
Some types of exercise, like high-intensity interval training and intense strength training, raise your metabolism for hours after a workout. This effect, called the after-burn, leads to increased calorie expenditure once your workout ends. You won’t get this effect from low or even moderate-intensity exercise, so you must pick up the pace to reap these benefits. Also, building muscle through strength training builds more metabolically active muscle tissue and that gives your resting metabolic rate a subtle boost. However, this effect is modest, based on recent research. Still, it all counts!
Exercise Increases Awareness of Your Lifestyle Habits
When you embark on a fitness program, you become more aware of all aspects of your lifestyle. You focus more on what you eat and your lifestyle habits, such as getting enough sleep and managing stress. Achieving a healthy body weight depends on more than working out. You need balanced workouts, a nutrient-dense diet, adequate sleep, and techniques for managing stress. Launching an exercise program gives you the mindset to take on these challenges. One healthy habit leads to another. It’s best not to tackle too many habits simultaneously. Take it slow and be patient.
Exercise Burns Calories
Exercise is a calorie burner, but you already knew that! The calorie burn benefits of exercise are one of the main reasons people work out. The problem is that even well-intentioned people compensate for the calories they burn through exercise. Studies show that people believe they burn more calories than they actually do during a workout and eat accordingly. They think the calories they burned justify a few slices of pizza when they only burned enough to cover the large cola drink, they drank with it. Enjoy the calorie-burning benefits of exercise but focus as much on nutrition.
The Bottom Line
Beyond weight loss, don’t forget about the other phenomenal rewards you get when you work out. Exercising offers many benefits for physical and mental health. It can improve your mood, help you sleep better, and act as a panacea for stress. You will become mentally stronger and more confident through exercise. You’re building stronger muscles, improving functionality, and boosting the health of your heart and bones too. With an ever-growing epidemic of obesity and diabetes, it’s more important than ever to exercise regularly. So, find an activity you enjoy and keep exercising, not only for your weight but for the health benefits moving your body offers.
References:
- Borghouts LB, Keizer HA. Exercise and insulin sensitivity: a review. Int J Sports Med. 2000 Jan;21(1):1-12. doi: 10.1055/s-2000-8847. PMID: 10683091.
- “Exercise: How Does It Promote Insulin Sensitivity?.” medscape.org/viewarticle/438372.
- “Benefits of Physical Activity | Physical Activity | CDC.” 05 Apr. 2021, cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/pa-health/index.htm.
- Martins C, Kulseng B, King NA, Holst JJ, Blundell JE. The effects of exercise-induced weight loss on appetite-related peptides and motivation to eat. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2010 Apr;95(4):1609-16. doi: 10.1210/jc.2009-2082. Epub 2010 Feb 11. PMID: 20150577.
- King NA, Tremblay A, Blundell JE. Effects of exercise on appetite control: implications for energy balance. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1997 Aug;29(8):1076-89. doi: 10.1097/00005768-199708000-00014. PMID: 9268966.
- “This Is What the Science Says About Cardio and Fat Loss.” muscleevo.net/weight-loss-and-exercise/.
- Borghouts LB, Keizer HA. Exercise and insulin sensitivity: a review. Int J Sports Med. 2000 Jan;21(1):1-12. doi: 10.1055/s-2000-8847. PMID: 10683091.
- Journal of Applied Physiology. Volume 99Issue 1. July 2005. Pages 338-343.
- Borghouts LB, Keizer HA. Exercise and insulin sensitivity: a review. Int J Sports Med. 2000 Jan;21(1):1-12. doi: 10.1055/s-2000-8847. PMID: 10683091.
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