There’s been a lot of conflicting chatter lately about the effects of exercise on appetite. We all know brisk exercise burns calories. But science now agrees with my personal obser-vations, that even moderate exertion can tamp down your appetite…
… And that’s a great aid to controlling overeating, which can lead to obesity! I’ve always said, the ef-fect on appetite is one of the most important factors in ‘just walking’ every morning, to reduce and control weight.
My theory
My family doctor told me a couple of decades ago, to start walking in the mornings, before breakfast, both to boost my cardio heath and to help control my weight.
“You’ll lose 50 lb. [20 kg] of excess weight in 6 months if you simply walk for at least an hour every morning,” he said, straight-faced, as if everyone else in the world except me already knew that.
He also stressed it was important that I walk before even having that first morning cup of coffee I loved so much.
Well, I tried it, and it worked! The details of my morning routine have wibbled and wobbled over the decades. I’ve gone back on the ‘morning walk’ plan at irregular intervals, when I felt I was gaining weight. And it still works!
Now, new science has produced hard evidence that the doctor’s advice was solid…
What they did
A team from Murdoch University (in Perth, Western Australia) wanted to study the effects of less-than-strenuous exercise on weight loss and associated metabolic processes.
“Despite the majority of studies reporting no effects of moderate aerobic exercise on GI hormones, subjective appetite suppression has been observed in individuals with overweight or obesity,” the study report introduction states. Researchers wanted to determine, once and for all, whether actual changes took place in certain hormones compounds and other metabolic agents the place during exercise that can effect appetite.
What they found
“People understand that exercise helps ‘burn energy’. A lot of people assume that exercise also in-creases hunger and energy intake afterwards,” Team member Associate Professor Timothy Fairchild says. “We have previously shown, using high-intensity exercise, that this is not the case.”
“This latest study shows that even moderate-intensity exercise can have immediate and beneficial effects on appetite control,” Fairchild confirms. “The study not only assessed food intake and ap-petite, but also measured [significant] changes in hormones which help to regulate appetite.”
The takeaway
“In fact, the hormones which have been shown to increase after exercise are the same hormones which the most successful weight loss drugs are mimicking.” Fairchild notes.
“The added benefit of exercise is that you also receive the additional physical and mental health benefits of [physical activity].”
My take
So… It’s just like I’ve always said: You don’t have to jog or swim. Or even power-walk. All you have to do is walk the dog or stroll the green space trails for at least an hour every morning to create a pro-found positive effect on your metabolism – and lose weight!
The key is getting onto a routine, walking every morning, covering a km or more in an hour or less. And holding off on breakfast until after you get back, when your exercise will have put enough be-neficial hormones into your bloodstream to help you fight the urge to overeat…
See you on the bike path!
~ Maggie J.