With the holidays approaching, there’s no doubt many people are concerned about keeping their weight in check–and a new study published in the Journal of Physiology says there now is an easy way to do it.
According to the research, which was conducted at the University of Bath in England, getting in a healthy bout of exercise–even if you’re overindulging–may ward off the ill consequences of sudden holiday binges, such as increased blood pressure and a poorer metabolism.
Unfortunately, it won’t cancel out those calories you ate during dinner.
“Physical activity can affect many aspects of metabolism but it is unclear to what extent this relies on manipulation of energy balance,” says researchers in the online issue of the Journal of Physiology. “[In the study] Vigorous-intensity exercise counteracted most of the effects from short-term overfeeding and under-activity at the whole-body level and in adipose tissue, even in the face of a standardised [sic] energy surplus.”
In short, working out may keep your metabolism–and body fat–from going haywire during this holiday season, keeping your weight in check.
The Study
Enrolling a total of 26 men described as being “healthy,” senior author Dr. Dylan Thompson, a professor of health sciences at the University of Bath, wanted to see how exercise affected a person’s health when bad habits, such as overeating, came into play. At the beginning of the study, he and his team of researchers evaluated the men’s health markers, including their amount of fat tissue, metabolism function, and blood sugar levels–all which met normal parameters.
Thompson then divided the men into two groups: Men who worked out and men who didn’t. He also asked both groups to binge to help replicate the frenzied feeding process that often occurs during the holiday season. Those who were put into the exercise group were also asked to run on a treadmill every day at a moderate pace for 45 minutes.
The result? The men who didn’t exercise already had bad blood glucose and unhealthy metabolic changes after just a week of overeating–but for those who exercised everyday, these effects were avoided.
“Exercise seemed to completely cancel out many of the changes induced by overfeeding and reduced activity,” says Thompson. “If you are facing a period of overconsumption and inactivity, a daily bout of exercise will prevent many of the negative changes, at least in the short term.”
Recommendation
Although your best line of defense against weight gain is to watch your calories during holiday dinner, it’s not always doable. Making sure to add a daily workout regimen to your day even if you plan to overindulge could help minimize the damage, however–study results showed it lessened blood pressure and metabolic problems that often occur following days of uncontrollable binging.
Any exercise will do too–though researchers agree doing cardio on the treadmill is probably the best way to do it.
Readers: Do you exercise during the holidays or not?
Sources:
Daily Exercise May Ward Off Effects of Overeating – NYTimes.com
Study: Exercise Stops Hormonal Changes Following a Binge – NLM.NIH.gov
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