Is 30 Minutes of Exercise a Day Enough for the Human Body? Research Says "No"

The common wisdom for weight loss and keeping healthy has been that 30 minutes of moderately intensive exercise a day is enough to help you begin to lose weight, coupled with a healthy diet. However according to new research led by John Jakicic at the Physical Activity and Weight Management Research Center at the University of Pittsburgh, conventional wisdom may not have been entirely accurate.

In a study published July 28 in the Archives of Internal Medicine, Jakicic argues that more exercise is not only better than less, but that it is required to sustain any sort of constant weight lost. By the end of a two year program, that Jakicic and his colleagues monitored, it was found that to gain any sort of measurable and constant loss of weight, at least an hour of exercise per day was necessary.

The weight loss program took place over two years, and followed nearly 200 overweight or obese women aged between 21 and 45. Women were asked to keep their diet to a calorie intake of between 1,200 and 1,500 a day. By the end of the two years, those who were exercising 68 minutes a day, five days a week, managed to lose 10% of their starting body weight, and subsequently keep it off.

In fact, the keeping off of the weight is required on maintaining the exercise program that helped you lose the weight in the first place, Jakicic notes. "The major outcome of this paper is the maintenance issue," Jakicic said.

Researchers encountered a problem in their data gathering, when it was found that at the six month mark, many of the women were relapsing, and exercising just what they wanted. However the researchers were still able to gather valuable information from their reports, which allowed them to associate weight loss to exercise levels.

But there is still an underlying question that people are asking; are diet and exercise a reliable cure for obesity?

Many of those in obesity research believe that the body determines a “set point”, a weight range of about 10 lbs. to 20lbs. that the body attempts to stick too. When you push that boundary – either up or down – your body will more vigorously attempt to defend that set point.

However Jakicic is still pleased with the notion that an hour’s worth of exercise helps bring down weight even 10%, because even a loss of 10% helps in overall well-being, lowering of blood pressure, improving heart health and reducing the risk of Type 2 diabetes. "The women's health was absolutely improved," Jakicic said.

By the end though, Jakicic is heartened by his findings. "I think the beauty of this study is that we now have a target.” And this backs up what a lot of people have said for a long time; regular substantial exercise and a good diet is a good way to stay healthy.

Posted by Josh Hill.

Comments

[Cliff]

A little common sense goes a long way!

[Tvini]

Great. Now I'm fat AND depressed.

[Fremon Sandlewould]

American fatasses are causing the globe to melt!

[Adam O]

Just don't eat like a monster, and work out a few times a week and you'll be fine. Eat a bunch of small meals a day to speed up you metabolism, and your body will be like a furnace.

Or go to Mcdonalds every other day, and order pizza on the weekends, oh and don't forget to get extra cheese on your nacho's at the movies.
Your choice!

[Cliff]

Great points Adam....very true about the small meals to up the metabolism! Weightlifting also puts more fire in that furnace you were referring to. The mor muscle mass you have, the larger the furnace! I lift and run 3-4 days a week and do eat like a monster sometimes (albeit healthy stuff like tuna, grilled chicken broccoli, potatoes, etc. and occasional pizza/burger), but get away with it because my body burns it up so fast. If you want to burn fat, the best thing to do is to exercise 1st thing in the morning before you eat ANYTHING! Maybe some water and a 1/2 glass of OJ or 1/2 banana....but the idea is to get your body to burn the fat that's already on you.....if you have sugar in your system...your body is going to run/burn off that first before it gets to your "fat reserves".

If you need something between meals to trick your stomach-- try rice cakes-- they have flavored one's now that aren't too bad--- or you can put a little peanut butter or margarine on them.

When you start an exercise program or engage in one it's very important to drink plenty of water, replace the minerals you lose from sweat, get plenty of sleep, and if you lift, try to get at least 10-20 grams of protein in your system within 1 hr. of working out, so you can speed up your muscle's recovery process.

If you're over 30lbs overweight you really should not be cheating at all for the first 3 months. That means no chips, cheetos, nachos, pizza, etc. Instead of a pizza try a nice flatbread with fresh mozzarella and fresh basil if you like. And you should stay away from sodium to help bring your blood pressure down.

Find exercises you like and enjoy it.....get outside, enjoy the scenery...rediscover the parks in your area....try different things...biking, running/jogging, in-line skating, kayaking, etc. So many options. Even if you try running you can mix it up, one day on the road, one day on the trail, one day on the track...that's what I do to keep it interesting! And you can walk/sprint/walk or jog/sprint/jog and mix it up with some push-up sit-ups. Some parks have the circuit training and that's great as well. if I did the same workout, same activities, day-in and day-out, I would go out of my mind. I incorporate rope-jumping, push-ups, crunches, jumping jacks, good-mornings, etc.. into my standard workouts....and plenty of stretching...both torso and legs. Of course yo might want to work you way into it. Start w/ intervals of 10 or 20 and then gradually increase by increments of 10 or 20 and see what you are comfortable with. The idea is not to kill yourself the first day...but to sustain constant improvement. Olympic athletes to not get to their elite fitness levels overnight-- it is gradual and constantly incremental. I don't know of anyone who's run a sub-4 minute mile on their 1st try....although it might happen someday I'm sure!

People need to start getting serious about the battle of the bulge...you've got to realize it's not just looking slim, but about adding life to your heart- which of course means more years for you. If you're overweight...think about your poor little heart and how much extra strain you're putting on it. Imagine if there was this shopping cart and everyone filled this one shopping cart beyond capacity, day-in and day-out....imagine what that shopping cart would look like and what kind of condition it would be in just after a few month!! OK, now you get my point! Good luck! Just pick yourself up off that couch and do it! Your heart and mind will thank you for it, I promise!

[Tvini]

To add to the above comment, I only joke about being fat and depressed. With sensible diet changes and a half hour of exercise every other day (the only time I can carve out until Autumn) I am, in fact, losing weight slowly but quite steadily.

Not to hijack the thread, but if you're just starting out running, you may wish to look into the "Couch to 5K" program, designed to get you off your butt and running by slowly ramping up your activity week by week. For us technophiles, Robert Ullrey has a free podcast that will prompt you as to when to run and when to drop back to a walk again. Or use an iPod nano and a pair of special Nike shoes (or your own shoes that you've added a pocket to) and monitor your progress online. http://www.apple.com/ipod/nike/gear.html has info, and you can google around for ways to create your own shoe pocket.

Another motivator for me: using a wii fit every evening with my husband, who has lost 45 pounds over the last year through cycling and is nearly at his goal. There's nothing like the feeling of having your spouse see your weight appear on the TV screen to convince you to keep up the effort!

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[custom rowing kit]

This is really such an interesting and very knowledgeable post here you have submitted so that i think i like it very much. I think it can be very beneficial for most of the people.

[Justin]

How many people have cheated on their diet? ill bet 90% of us... but its not a bad thing. Its not a matter of what you eat, its how much. Im 5'11" and about 3 months ago, i weighed 255 lbs., with most of my weight being in my ass and mid-section. I found a great article about carbs and protein. ALL I DID WAS CHANGE MY DIET!!! Within 2 months, i was down to 210 lbs. I was amazed, considering i didnt check my weight that whole time. But i went shopping for clothes and found out i went from a size 44 in jeans, to a size 36!! i couldnt really believe it, so when i got home, i checked. Then i felt really good. A month later, after i incorporated 30 minutes on an elliptical 3 days a week, and some weight lifting every other day, im down to 189 lbs. 3 months, and it all started with changing my diet. And im probably the only one to admit it, but i still ate fast food, ranch, things like that. But i controlled my cravings for the most part, and only ate that food to get the satisfaction of the taste. Now i dont get those cravings anymore, and if im hungry, i drink a glass of water. Now my 36 jeans are too big! And from what ive read, i should see abs in another 3 months. Oh yeah, ladies, here i come! Lol, just kidding, but dont get discouraged if you dont see results in a couple days. Youve put years into eating junk food and not exercising, so it will take some time to lose the weight. But the time goes by, and if you change whats in your cupboards at home, and change a few things here and there, you dont even have to exercise to start losing weight. You can do it! Drink a ton of water, eat a 2000 calorie diet, get your fiber and multivitamin, and BAM! youve lost 10 lbs in like 2 weeks. Its easy, and when you see the scale first drop, or you lose some inches in your jeans, you will have motivated yourself.