Don’t exercise to lose weight – you may even put on a pound or two

Regular exercisers – who follow the current guidelines of 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise a week, such as by brisk walking – gain half-a-pound (0.22 kg) on average a year. Paradoxically, men who don’t exercise lose an average of 0.6 pounds a year.

The discovery underlines the truth of the adage that you can’t lose a bad diet in the gym, as researchers from the Loyola University in Chicago found when they tracked the weight and activity levels of a group of men and women living in the US and four other countries.

Around 44 per cent of American men and 20 per cent of women were following the surgeon general’s physical activity guidelines of 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, and yet their weight increased slightly over the year.

“Physical activity may not protect you from gaining weight,” said lead researcher Lara Dugas.

(Source: Peer J, 2017; 5: e2902)

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