by: Nancy Dell, Registered Dietitian
CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) You would think the more exercise you do, the more calories you burn, and the more weight you would lose. But this may not be the case.
Studies show, couch potatoes need to move to lose weight. However, if you are already very active, increasing your exercise may not increase the calories you burn all day.
Researchers from City University of New York followed over 300 people for a week. They measured how much activity they did and how many calories they burned for the day. They found that people who did little activity saw some increase in the calories they burned all day when they increased their exercise.
However, people who were already really active did not burn more calories for the day when they increased their exercise. Somehow the body adapts when you do too much exercise so you do not burn extra calories.
More research is needed to find what level of exercise is just enough to burn calories and lose weight efficiently without wasting your time doing too much.
But at this point researchers say aim for an hour of exercise or a 2 mile walk a day. If you are trying to lose weight, you also need to adjust your diet.
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Food for Thought: Exercise and weight loss - WWLP.com
