Exercise as the Culprit in Obesity? I Don't Think So!

My goodness. And all this time I've been wasting my time with that silly exercising stuff, which according to John Cloud of Time.com, is going to make me fat if I don't stop:

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1914857-1,00.html

Here is my response to the editor:

To the editor,

Re the article "Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin" by John Cloud: in the future, please refrain from publishing articles from writers who clearly have little or no training in the subject of which they write about. As an exercise physiologist with a Master's in Exercise Science and 17 years of experience in the health and fitness field, I am disturbed that you would allow publication of an article so incredibly inaccurate and irresponsible.

Simply making the comment about "turning fat to muscle" was enough for me to raise a red flag, but then going on to write that exercise could possibly be making people fat is just plain wrong. If someone eats too much following a workout, then perhaps they need to eat more consistently throughout the day (preferably making lower-glycemic food choices) and get a small, healthy, immediate post-recovery snack to restore and maintain consistent blood sugar levels. Overeating will likely result if blood sugar is allowed to dip after a workout, since low blood sugar can trigger an intense hunger response.

And to say that vigorous exercise leads to weight gain, and provides no health benefit compared to moderate exercise/regular physical activity is also wrong. Higher intensity exercise, even performed once per week, has been shown in research studies to provide protective effects for the heart greater than with moderate intensity exercise. And for the comment that the obese exercise more than the rest of us? I guarantee if you were to measure total daily caloric intake vs. expenditure of obese vs. fit individuals, it wouldn't even be a close contest.

Mr. Cloud has quoted a good many sources in an effort to make his case. However, his lack of knowledge on this subject is glaring, and it disturbs me that he is allowed a forum to disseminate such misleading information. It has been shown overwhelmingly in the research literature that regular exercise is highly effective at prolonging life, reducing cancer risk, and aiding weight loss. Articles such as this are irresponsible, and perhaps even dangerous, as they may convince those who perhaps most need to exercise to forgo the pursuit. In the future, I would hope that Time would be more careful before they approve such sensationalist nonsense.

Regards,

Ken Koontz, MS, CSCS

Be healthy, my friends.

http://upandrunningatl.blogspot.com/