To Maintain Weight, Exercise an Hour a Day
photo by twotoneati
Today we’re going to talk about long workouts. You might think this is because I sweated it out for hours and hours at the gym, but you’d be wrong.
(I did, however, have a heart-pounding, in-the-zone type workout on Wednesday. The good: I kept my speed high and the resistance way up. The better: I biked 8.5 miles. The best: No pain or redness.)
So, yeah, go me. But we’re not going to talk about that right now. (Though if you want, you can continue the discussion on your own. It’d be kind of weird, but I’m OK with that.)
The reason I want to talk about long workouts is because the Journal of the American Medical Association published a study this week that says normal-weight women who aren’t on a diet need to exercise an hour a day, seven days a week to maintain their weight. Compared to their peers who gained an average of 5.7 pounds over 13 years, those who exercised an hour a day gained less than 5 pounds
I’ll be honest, my initial reaction was: What?! An hour? I’m already running on negative time here what with the whole work thing and dinner thing and the doing the dishes/laundry/cleaning thing. Oh, right, and bed. Which I fit in there somehow.
So, yeah, an hour a day, seven days a week makes me want to curl up on the couch with a cinnamon bun. And then I see the 5 pounds. I’m going to sweat my butt off every single day for 60 whole minutes so that over the next 13 years I don’t gain 5 pounds? Five pounds? Not five times 100. Just five.
Though you wouldn’t know it by watching me whine in the morning that I don’t look like Angelina Jolie, I really do believe that everyone’s body is different. And like it or not we all respond to exercise differently. I’m not entirely sure I’ll balloon should I stop exercising an hour a day. (Let’s just pretend I’ve already started, OK?) Just saying, the whole idea is not for me.
** Ask Away. Because I’m in the mood to be grilled, I’m opening myself to your questions. Ask whatever you want—related to me, health, or whatever—right in the comments. Like, say, What’s the best way to get sweat stains out of a white T-shirt? (Buy a new one.) Or, If you had to choose between eating chocolate chip cookies and bread pudding, which would you pick? (Yes.) So, have at it. I’ll post my answers on Monday. Or, you know, whenever I have enough questions to answer in a full post. **
How about you? Do you already exercise an hour a day, every day? Do you plan to?
16 comments
I do exercise over an hour every day…usually between 1.5 and 2 hours!
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I was waiting for you to write a post about this study
I get about an hour in 5-6 days per week… but that’s me…
Some think it’s too much… for me, its just right.
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Tracey Reply:
March 26th, 2010 at 9:16 am
Estela–You know me too well.
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What are they defining as “exercise”? Just curious they may not mean a one hour sweat sesh. Different recommendations and organizations define exercise a different things. I don’t “exercise” for an hour every day, but I do accumulate an hour of activity every day.
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Tracey Reply:
March 26th, 2010 at 9:19 am
Fit Chick–They found moderate-intensity exercise was needed to maintain weight. So walking, hiking, jogging (>10-minute miles), running (≤10-minute miles), bicycling, aerobic exercise. Things like yoga and swimming were considered low-intensity.
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I read that article with great interest as I’m getting older. I find among the older ladies I know those that are really active are the ones that are still slim and fit.
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Our medical director quoted this study yesterday in our meeting. It’s depressing, huh? Thing is, if we’d just eat less over the years, we wouldn’t gain anything (duely noted). Exercise is important, though. I would say my average run is 45-50 minutes and I get 2 60+ minute workouts in a week and that’s mostly hockey. While I don’t skate the whole 90-minute game, I’m sure breathing hard the whole game. It’s like football — you’re not moving the whole time, but it’s huge bursts. I guess that’s all considered exercise? I need to wear my HRM the next time I play. That’d be interesting. Sunday, I’m doing it! Done!
Great post, as always!
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There are so many stats out there that I realized I simply cannot pay attention them anymore, otherwise I will drive myself nuts! I do at least an hour of exercise each day but it isn’t always heart-pounding. Sometimes I just go for a walk and that is enough, other times it is a run. I’m fairly certain that as long as I keep moving I’m not going to blow up. I’m also fairly certain that you are nowhere near “ballooning” either!
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If we think about our ancestors, they probably were active for much more than an hour a day, so I would say that about an hour a day is reasonable! I work out a bit less than that though, because I only work out an hour a day 5 days a week, not 7. But I guess I’m pretty active with the kids on the weekends, but I’m don’t know if that really counts, since that alone certainly did not prevent me from gaining weight in the past!
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I think this study could be detrimental to those “over-exercisers” who now feel if they don’t sweat it out for an hour everyday that they’re going to get fat, etc…I hate that…whatever happened to just going for a walk or just being good to yourself…or not “forcing” yourself to do something you don’t feel like…seriously.
I actually watched this on the TODAY show when Ann Curry asked Dr. Nancy Snyderman about it – and Nancy ? – well – God LOVE her – she basically told them to go shove it up their a$$e’s – as though women don’t feel enough pressure and bad enough about their bodies as is? …it IS so important to be healthy of course….but, like she said – this study is either going to make you geared towards more self-punishment and negative body image….or curl up on the couch with potatoe chips in self-defeat and think there’s no point in trying anything.
Great post!
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Hmm I read this study and thought the same thing you did. I had already been dreaming about couches and cinnamon buns. But this recommendation seems daunting to say the least. I exercise (walking) everyday. Usually I walk 3 miles. I love it. But only because I’ve found something I enjoy and have come to a place where exercise isn’t a “have to.”
I don’t really believe all that I read about the amount of exercise though. I am pretty sure I even eat more than they recommend and I’m not on the gaining train, and I certainly don’t do any really strenuous, hard core workouts either. So I just think to myself, let’s cross that bridge when we get to it. Let’s live in a manner that is manageable and happy and reassess as necessary.
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I mentioned this on my blog too. I workout an hour to two a day (cardio and yoga), and it is good for me physically and mentally. I do wonder, though, how they can say how much exercise is necessary to maintain weight without knowing the individual persons diet or metabolism. If someone eats nothing but fast food and another has a lower fat more nutritious diet, do they still both need the same hour?
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[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Tracey Neithercott. Tracey Neithercott said: New post: Exercise an hour a day to maintain weight. But all for 5 lbs? http://bit.ly/b5F92I [...]
When I’m waiting on hold to make an appointment with the VA med center, I have to listen to little health “commercials” over and over and over and over…
One of them has a woman saying, in a bright, happy voice, “Did you know that if you cut 100 calories a day out of your diet, you’ll lose 10 pounds in a year? It’s true …” Wow. So rather than exercise hard for an hour a day, 7 days a week forever so that I won’t gain more than five pounds over 13 years, I COULD just eat a bit less and lose twice that in ONE year.
Well, I know which one I’M choosing. ;o) So here’s my question: Is what the VA says true? Inquiring minds …
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Tracey Reply:
March 29th, 2010 at 8:09 am
Wren–I’d pick that, too! Since I’ve already written the answers post, expect an answer to this in an upcoming post. Thanks!
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I am a long workout kind of a girl. I’m used to pretty long (hour or so) cardio sessions. I know I don’t spend a lot of time on weights like I should do. But I lost 110 pounds doing what I do and it’s a hard habit to break when you see results. I read so many articles on interval training. I have yet to really try it though.
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