Friends have shared these two articles with me recently that I wanted to pass along. Since I still have zero energy and my brain cells seem to be dying by the day here as I sit here and try to get better … I’m not going to analyze them but rather just share them, verbatim. I’d love to know what you think, though!!
The first, courtesy of Allison, is “Training the Mind to Run Right Through Winter.”
-The premise here is that while some people stop their exercise routines in cold weather, there are also people who continue to push through. I know I tend to prefer indoor workouts when it’s really cold out, but then when it’s a nice-ish winter day, I love to squeeze in a bike ride, run or walk–it can feel invigorating. I don’t mind the cold, so much as snow/ice. How about you? Do you run or exercise outdoors regardless of the weather?
The second, courtesy of Yasmin, is “Why Exercise Doesn’t Lead to Weight Loss.”
-The premise here is that exercising can help with maintenance but doesn’t necessarily boost weight loss. I agree with that assessment; I know eating less is really what helped me lose weight and that if I didn’t work out the way I do (when healthy and not with H1N1, that is) I’d probably have gained it ALL back vs. just some of it. How about you? Do you think exercise helped you lose or maintain better?
Thanks, girls, for your contributions. How did you know these would come in handy? 🙂
Let There Be Light 
Hope you feel normal soon!
I love to exercise but definitely have found that certain types of exercise and amounts are useful for different things. For maintenance, the more vigourous types work better i.e. running , spin classes 45-60 minutes several times a week etc however when dieting I do best with more low-moderate instensity 2-3 x/week and with more of a focus on good weight training and just getting more daily activity (NEAT) in general. When you are dieting the body is stressed to begin with and really hard exercise on top further stresses it which can make you hungrier but also can affect hormones that control satiety, fat burning, etc.
Thanks Lara!! That makes a lot of sense. And since I can’t exercise at the moment, I need to be especially careful with what I’m eating …
The “Phys Ed: Why Doesn’t Exercise Lead to Weight Loss?” interested me. The fact that exercise in and of itself doesn’t really help with weight loss is documented pretty extensively in Gary Taubes’ book, “Good Calories, Bad Calories”. A tough read, but very, very interesting. I lost 55 pounds on Weight Watchers without exercising (sigh… gained most of it back and am trying to go down again; that is, I doubt, not really related to exercising though, but entangled with my relationship with food); however, I think the real benefits to exercising are not the calorie burn, but rather, the sense of satisfaction and well-being that comes from it. I am struggling to LIKE exercising myself. 🙂
I hope that you feel better soon! UGH.
I agree, exercise FEELS wonderful. And now that I can’t do it (well, til I’m better) it’s something I very much miss!!
Thank you 🙂