As a part two from last weeks blog about enjoying exercise, here is an article on research finding the enjoyment of exercise can lead to less emotional eating.
This is just one of many articles that highlight the great side effects of exercise. Enjoying exercise creates a surge in ‘feel good’ brain chemicals. These are many of the same brain chemicals that surge when we eat foods high in simple carbohydrates and fats. With a healthy dose of these chemicals helping us feel good after exercise, we are not as likely to search for comfort foods.
We can get so focused on the amount of calories we burn during a workout, forgetting the huge value of enjoyment for gaining this lasting effect. Doing a high calorie burning workout that you don’t enjoy may not have as many benefits in the end for weight loss as doing a more enjoyable, yet lower calorie burning session.
The goal is to burn only as many calories as you can ENJOY burning!
As highlighted in the last blog, the reasons we don’t enjoy exercise are often created by a wide variety of challenges. We might think these factors don’t matter, or that there is no good solution. Since they keep us from enjoying exercise, this article reminds us that finding solutions and enjoy moving again is a key to success.
So, on this beautiful week of end of summer weather, choose an activity you enjoy or find a way to make what you can do more enjoyable.
It sounds like a win-win. We get to enjoy some time moving AND enjoy feelin
g good about our food choices too.
Keep Moving, Be Well,
Janet
These weekly emails are general guidelines. These guidelines apply to patients who are cleared by a physician for the type of exercise described. Please contact your physician with any concerns or questions. Always report any symptoms associated with exercise, such as pain, irregular heartbeats, and dizziness or fainting, to your physician.
Keep Moving Weekly 