Less Exercise Better for Weight Loss
Wednesday, October 17, 2012 at 6:35AM
A new study from Denmark suggests that running, biking or rowing for 30 minutes daily when you’re trying to lose weight helps pare off pounds better than an hour-long workout. Researchers from the University of Copenhagen concluded that "less exercise is better" after following 60 healthy but overweight men for 13 weeks. Half of the study participants exercised for one hour every day wearing a heart-rate monitor and calorie counter; the other half exercised for only 30 minutes per day, at an intensity that produced a light sweat. The investigators found that the men who spent 30 minutes on their daily workouts lost 3.6 kilos (about eight pounds) in about three months while those who exercised for an hour lost only 2.7 kilos (just under six pounds). To explain the difference, the researchers suggested that the men who exercised longer probably ate more. Both groups lost about four kilos in body mass. The study was published online on August 1, 2012 in the American Journal of Physiology.
Reader Comments (2)
Interesting. I was just reading another article this week that stated people should limit their total weekly exercise from actually exercising every week too. This was to promote long term health. I guess the simple rule to keep everything in moderation including exercise.
I think the flaw in this study is that only weight was measured, not the amount of fat. When one exercises more, one not only loses fat, but gains lean body mass mainly as muscle. Since muscle weighs more than fat, the total weight may not decrease as much as those who exercised less, but the amount of fat, measured as percentage of body weight, probably will decrease more and the amount of lean body mass will increase.