Why reading Daily Mail can make you pile on the pounds quicker than a sweet treat?
Yesterday I learnt from an article published by Daily Mail that exercise doesn't promote weight loss. What's more, it can make you pile on the pounds.
As I have very strong opinions in terms of exercise, fitness and healthy lifestyle, I decided to bring up a few points that challenge a few statements presented by the author.
Firstly, I really struggle to see any more reasons behind writing this piece other than to confuse the public and to gain more readers intrigued by a debatable title. With the added controversy and the general nation's "painful necessity" attitude to exercising, it's no wonder this article may be climbing up the popularity ladder. Have the editors considered the potentially detrimental impact of this article on the readers? As far as I know there is a fast growing problem of obesity in the UK with 64% of people being classed as overweight. Just that alone may indicate bringing exercise as the one of the reasons that make people pile on pounds may not be a good idea. And even if the author, Claire Coleman mentions, quoting the British Journal of Sports Medicine, that physical activity is useful in reducing the risk of disease, the overall message is clear - starting a workout regime makes you fatter.
Secondly,the article contradicts itself by listing the reasons of why exercise doesn't shed pounds off people. That's simply because those reasons aren't referring to physical activity as such. They do in fact refer to the lifestyle preferences, for instance food and drink choice or behavioural and emotional factors (reward after hard work). Of course a recent study from Arizona State University will show a weight gain in 81 obese women leading a sedentary lifestyle after embarking on a 12 week workout programme. They weren't studying the effects of exercise, they were studying behavioural reactions of an unfit mind. One paragraph in particular has put me under a huge, stress hormones releasing disagreement. It may be right stating high intensity exercise can trigger stress hormone production, but to claim it promotes weight gain from fat build up around the middle is misleading, and far fetched. Yes, cortisol does have a negative effect on a metabolism, it does make you lose lean muscle mass but again, it's the levels of certain chemical in a human body we are talking about, not the exercise itself. As a matter of fact, exercise utilises cortisol to fuel up another process, the endorphins production - powerful happiness hormones. But the balance between the two, is most certainly a more complex matter and under no circumstances should exercise be blamed for higher levels of the bad hormone.
Thirdly, the article is giving the reader an overall impression that any physical activity is simply a risky venture and anything more than a park walk and he/she may be setting himself/herself on a fast tracked way to obesity. It is pretty clear that the author only looks at exercise as a temporary measure which in my opinion ridicules the whole point of producing this piece. This is because all of the studies ever taken have firm and proven evidence that exercise should be a lasting decision for life and ONLY benefits follow.
Moreover,with the last infamous subheading PS: 'Don't cut out exercise completely' there is nothing more left for me to write other than WTF? The editors sacrificed a whole page and one third of the valuable newspaper space to slate one of the most rewarding, enjoyable experiences that physical activity is just to put a corner cutting note and a word of advice to not to throw exercise out of my daily routines because it's...HEALTHY!
To sum up - Confusing, misleading, cortisol inducing read. I hope you can see it too.
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