Warning!  In general, exercise alone won’t make you thin!  The information contained in this article might just make you consider whether or not you actually reward yourself with a post-exercise treat…after all, you burnt so many calories on the treadmill, that you can now eat what you like.  Right?

As a weight management and fat loss personal trainer, all of my clients want to know the secret of losing weight, toning their muscles and keeping off the fat in the long-term.  I’m going to be brave now and say that exercise alone won’t make you thin.  There is so much more to the equation.  A calorie is more than a calorie if it’s coming from the wrong source!  Yes it’s true that exercise and movement is one of the basic ‘needs’ of our bodies, but soley concentrating on burning calories won’t give you the results that I imagine you are after.  I’ve found some statistics to back up what I am saying:

45 million Americans now belong to a health club (this is a 22 million increase since 1993).

We spent 19 billion USD on gym memberships each year (can you actually say that you have fully utilised your gym membership EVERY month?)

Obesity is still on the increase.  Have a look at the statistics here.

Back in 2003 when I was training to run the London Marathon, I used to think that I could run several times a week and would have to ‘refuel’ on the days that I was resting.  In the back of my mind, I was also quite excited about losing a few pounds.  After all, I would be using up so many calories!  My fellow runners and I would forever talk about eating whatever we liked as we were training for a marathon.  I’m pleased to say that I finished the 26.2 miles…and weighed absolutely no different!  The main reason for this was that I didn’t really care where my calories were coming from, I just wanted fuel.  I would also eat quite a lot after my training session was over.

After much research and qualifications in exercise for weight management and fat loss, I look back to those training days and wish that I knew then exactly what I know now.  I found that in order to truely lose weight and perform at our best, we must balance and focus the quality and quantity of the food that we are eating, along with training at the right intensity.  The goal of any healthy eating plan should be to eat the foods that provide our bodies with the necessary building blocks to make healthy cells.

So, back to the issue of exercise.  Research shows that physical inactivity might actually been more harmful to your health than other risk factors such as smoking and high blood pressure (not that I am advocating either of those as being ok).  Exercise is vital for our bodies, after all they were designed to withstand physical hardship.  If we fuel ourselves in the right way, avoid the junk food and excessive eating after training and get proper rest and recovery, the end result could actually be losing a few pounds.

So, stop and think before rewarding yourself with a ‘treat’ after training.  All of your hard work could be undone within seconds!!!  In the meantime, your monthly membership is helping the profits of the gym!