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Exercise

Two hours.

May 1, 2013
Behavior Change, Exercise, Food Descriptives, Food Environment, Scientific Studies
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The best and most fascinating studies for me are the simple ones.  I don’t want to know the genome of the brain, someone does, but not me.  I want to know why I eat and why I exercise.  More practical and applicable to my daily life than know the DNA of my left parietal lobe.  If indeed I have one of those.

Last week in Boston the annual Experimental Biology Conference took place.  This annual event gathers leaders from a diverse set of fields, including nutrition, to discuss the cutting edges of their disciplines.  I was thrilled that the study entitled, “Menu labels displaying amount of exercise needed to burn calories show benefits” was one that the New York Times chose to highlight earlier this week.  Out of all the amazing research presented, why we eat the way we do and ways to stop it grabbed the headlines.  Progress.

A small provision of the Affordable Health Care Act states that restaurant chains of more than 20 outlets must display the calorie content of their foods.  This is welcome news, however, how many of us know what that number means or even care? Calories in a McDonalds Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese?  750 big ones.  ”Wow, that seems to be quite a few,” we think immediately before taking off a bite.  The issue with calorie counts and nutritional content is that the information is not salient to us, it is not meaningful.  Most know that high calories may want to be avoided, but even that is relative.  Enter the present study.

Researchers at Texas Christian University tracked what people ordered and what they actually consumed as a result of ordering from three different menu options.  The food items listed on the menus were identical with one exception:  one menu simply listed the food, another listed calories next to the food, and the third listed how long one would have to briskly walk if they ordered and consumed each food.  Now we’re talking.  Threaten people with exercise and watch them change their behavior.

When ordering from menus that listed how much brisk walking would be needed to burn off the consumed calories individuals ordered and ate significantly less calories when compared to the other two conditions.  There was no difference in calories ordered or consumed when comparing menus with and without calorie counts.

This isn’t to say that menus with calories listed are meaningless.  To some this information is useful, to others it is simply a moment for pause.  However, exercise is salient, people can relate to walking.  When you see a sirloin steak you want and next to it reads “You will have to walk briskly for 60 minutes” in order to burn those consumed calories behavior seems to change.

Take home message:  if we want to get people to change their behavior around food and exercise, the information we share with them must be relevant.  This information cannot be abstract, like calorie counts.  That Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese?  Go walk for two hours and get back to me.

How long will did I have to walk after I consumed last weekend’s birthday desserts?  Way too long.  And that means something to me.

M-i-s-s-i-s-s-i-p-p-i

March 15, 2013
Behavior Change, Exercise, Scientific Studies
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What’s that spell?  Mississippi! Mississippi?  Yeah Mississippi!  As in we are the fattest state in the country and we’re going for more!  As if a judge in New York City striking down the soda ban wasn’t enough, the governor of the most rotund state in these United States is set to sign the “Anti-Bloomberg” law into effect shortly.  Anti-Bloomberg as in the mayor of New York City.  Mississippi’s legislature has now gone on record saying “keep your hands off my soda, and any of my food for that matter.”

“The Mississippi Legislature wants to be the sole government body that controls its buffets, barbecue and sweet tea..That means that cities or counties cannot enact rules limiting soda size, salt content, shortening in cookies, toys in fast-food meals for children, how a menu is written or just about any other aspect of the daily dining experience in Mississippi.” (From the New York Times).

We’re going to get fatter!  And Bloomberg, there is nothing you can do about it!  I ask this question many times a day, whether food related or not: Why do people so often act against their own best self interest.   I am not one to judge your best interest, however, when you lead the country in obesity, some careful thought about how to address the issue might do you some good.

The latest data show that Mississippi has an adult obesity rate of 35% and it is projected that by 2030 nearly 67% of all Mississippians will be obese.  67%.  By telling government to keep their hands off the french fries and supersize sodas I am sure that number won’t be reached.  People will quickly realize they have personal responsibility and will limit consumption on their own.  Right.  I wonder how Mississippi feels about government “intrusion” on other individual rights?  Any guesses?

One of the main reasons that Judge Tingling of New York City and the legislature of Mississippi are behaving the way they are is that they say they don’t want to limit individual rights.  I don’t buy it.  Can’t smoke here, can’t get married there.  Food is personal, but the effects of obesity are not.  The reasons are nuanced and different for these locales  My best guess is that in New York Judge Tingling didn’t want to dampen the spirits of soda makers everywhere whereas in Mississippi it is more likely a ignorant confederate view telling others to leave us alone.  Disclaimer:  I have never lived in Mississippi so don’t claim to know exactly how they think, my assumption is pure speculation.

So go ahead Mississippians, eat and drink to your heart’s content.  However, your heart may not be content for very long.

On a more positive note for a Friday, some interesting research now suggests that even if you hate to exercise you still reap the benefits of it.  So no more excuses of “Exercise causes me to stress out therefore it can’t be good for me and it doesn’t make me feel better.”  Yes, it does make you feel better and yes, it will lower your stress and anxiety when put in new stressful situations.  At least if you are a rat.

Happy Friday.

Avoidance Strategy #1

December 12, 2012
Behavior Change, Exercise, Scientific Studies
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During a conversation yesterday I spoke with an individual interested in losing weight.  We spoke of motivation, exercise, determination, and of course, food.  We compared notes on ourselves and although there were many areas where we differed (morning v. night exercising, group exercise classes v. exercising alone) there was one area where we were identical:  struggling with food on the weekends.  We discussed strategies yet didn’t come up with anything we thought would set our worlds on fire, or send our weight tumbling down.  I then walked out of my office and found a rather large bowl of cookies sitting on our administrative assistant’s desk.  They had been placed there by our Sports Information Director.  And they were good.  Real good. Six times good.  Damn it, the environment strikes again!  My thoughts of when I struggle with food progressed from the conversation of the weekends to situations where food is presented unexpectedly, especially when it finds me in the afternoons.

Each day I think about my food and in some general sense plan out the day.  This thinking helps me control my consumption.  I have time, in a sense, to pre-reflect on my choices.  When unexpected food shows up, I don’t have time to reflect and my mouth is eating before my brain is thinking.  This occurs most often in the mid-afternoons.  Maybe it is decision fatigue setting in.  I do make a lot of really important decisions in the morning and early afternoon because I am a really important person.  Note the sarcasm.

My internal monologue then led me to the eating season which is on my mind as we are only two weeks away from the Christmas binge.  What can I do over the next two weeks to avoid unexpected food?  Maybe not avoid it, but not consume it.  Nope, better to avoid it.  Maybe I should switch from morning exercising to afternoon exercising.  I don’t struggle with food choices at 4:00 am, I struggle with them at 4:00 pm.  Makes sense to me, exercise when I am at my most vulnerable to food.  Perfect plan, let’s go with it.

One problem, I don’t like exercising in the afternoons.  I get busy, too many people in the fitness center, I want to get home, I like having my exercise done in the morning so I can be proud of myself all day.  Hmmm.  Maybe afternoon exercising isn’t the best avoidance strategy, perhaps I will have to think of another.  On the upside,  current research shows that exercise in general, and possibly exercising in the afternoon even more than morning exercise, will help me sleep better.  (Exercise positively impacts circadian rhythms, especially as we age).  Perhaps that is an avoidance strategy.  Convince myself to exercise in the afternoon thereby limiting my consumption during the hours that I struggle AND sleep more, thus avoiding more food.  There we have it!  Not one food avoidance strategy but two!  Amazing.

Still don’t want to exercise in the afternoon.

21.8 vs. 11

October 18, 2012
Behavior Change, Exercise, Scientific Studies
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Randomly, you had to pick one of those two numbers, which would it be?  If I gave you a bit more information, say, there units of measure, would that help? 21.8 minutes vs. 11 minutes.  Any better?  What if I said these were amounts of time spent exercising in a new study showing amazing outcomes.  Would you pick the lower one?

The above numbers represent the decrease, in minutes, of life expectancy for every hour of television you watch after the age of 25 and smoking a cigarette, respectively.  You read that right, for every hour of television you watch as you get older you can knock 21.8 minutes off your life.  Pass the cigarettes. These data come from a recently published article in the British Journal of Sports Medicine and are highlighted in the New York Times earlier this week.  The authors of the study used television viewing time as a marker of sitting.  The more amazing finding was that the decreased life expectancy tied to sitting held true even amongst regular exercisers.  Exercise is great, we know that, just don’t spend the rest of the day reflecting upon what you did while sitting.  Wow.

Add to this the data published the other day in Diabetologia, again highlighted in the Times article, and you can spot trouble.  We spend 50-70% of our time sitting and for those that sit the most there is a 112% increase in there relative risk of developing diabetes, a 147% increase in risk of cardiovascular disease, and a 49% greater risk of dying prematurely.  Again, even if they are regular exercisers.  Stand up, damn it!

With each passing day and each new article sedentary behaviors are proved to be terrible for us.  However, one of the most important questions about all this has yet to be asked:  Why do we sit so much?  Is sitting causing disease (we could argue yes based on the above data) or do we develop disease and then sit more which leads us back to disease.  I hate those vicious cycles.  Does our environment lead us to sit (yes), do we tend to be a lazy people (some of us), and would it seem unusual in many situations to stand, say at a board meeting (maybe).

As with many things our environment guides our behavior.  Yesterday I asked my classes if they’d be comfortable standing during class.  There were are few nods of yes but by and large many said no.  How could they text underneath their desks?  All kidding aside, if we are serious about our health it seems we need to stand.  One place to take that stand is by asking for our environment to change.  Ask for a standing desk, a walking meeting, and for those of you that teach, encourage your students to stand.  It’s really not that bad.

As I have said before, the best way to not sit on the couch in front of the television is to not have a couch in front of the television.  Lose the tele too.

The Finish Line.

October 8, 2012
Exercise
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The finish line often represents another beginning.  For those that finished their first marathon at yesterday’s Twin Cities Marathon the finish line may represent a goal attained and lead them to another goal setting adventure, possibly even another marathon.  Finishing may have proved to them they can set a goal, no matter how insurmountable it may seem at times, and accomplish it.  That can be a powerful experience to have in your back pocket.  As the athletes went by our water station yesterday there were looks of joy, pain, happiness, hurt, and fun.  That’s a marathon.

For an experienced marathon athlete the finish line may represent the attainment of a different kind of goal.  Perhaps one that propels them to Boston or to another challenge, say an Ironman Triathlon.  They may have been happy with their times and felt satisfied for a moment, or they may have been disappointed and crossed the finish line saying, “I’ll do better next time.”  Goals are an interesting creature.

I was amazed to see all the athletes yesterday.  Just the sheer number was impressive.  More so, however, was the fact that each athlete has a story to tell.  Some shared a bit of their stories on their shirts, or bare chests, other simply kept their stories to themselves. There were those running for a mother with breast cancer, a father pushing his son, the solider honoring his troops.  There were partners holding hands, there were people that said, “Help.”  There was Flash running barefoot, there was a man hunched over but determined to make it.  They walked, they ran, they wheeled, some may have even crawled.  Most importantly, they made it.  I am proud of each and every one.

This morning my mother will cross a different sort of finish line.  The knee she has had in her right leg since birth has reached its finish line.  In about one hour that knee will be replaced.  Her knee’s finish line represents a goal for her, to soon be able to get back down on the floor with her grandkids, and more importantly, to get back up.  She will need the determination we saw yesterday in those TCM athletes to see her rehabilitation through.  She will have support, just like the athletes did yesterday.  Support before, during, and after the race.

To those of you that competed so well yesterday, rest up.  To my mom, rest up.  To all of you, get back up and get after it again soon.  And for at least the next few days, both athletes and my mother, watch those stairs.

TCM

October 5, 2012
Exercise
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On Sunday morning over 10,000 athletes will take to the streets of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Some will run 10 miles, others 26.2. For those of you in southwest Minnesota that’s equal to the distance between Worthington and Luverne. Others yet will propel themselves using their arms. All will push themselves and each other. Over 5,000 volunteers will support their efforts and numbers too high to count will cheer along the route. Hopefully Alan Page will continue his tuba performances and the kind group on Summit continues to hand out beer. Beer has carbohydrates. The Twin Cities Marathon and 10 mile are run on one of the prettiest courses in the country and it always promises to be a good time.

From an exercise physiologist’s point of view these races are a case study of everything we do. Proper training, injury prevention, nutrition, motivation, and perseverance. We can get technical and talk about cardiac output, glycogen depletion, and muscle fiber types. It’s like Comic-Con for those in the field. What are the elites drinking and why? How will the temperature impact the racers? Will some eat too much, too little? Who’s burning fat and why? And for Pete’s sake how is it humanly possible to run 13 miles an hour for two straight hours?  Use your arms to push your wheelchair for 26.2 miles?  Unreal.

The race will include those participating in possibly their one hundredth marathon, those that have run every single one of the previous 30 TCM (check out page 24 here to see list of charter members), and those that are competing for the very first time. There is an 85 year old woman running this weekend, and a 79 year old man.  I can only hope I am running when I reach that age.  There is a 12 year old girl and a 13 year old boy competing.  I can only wish that I had been that fit in junior high.  Each athlete has a challenge unique to them and it is incredible to watch them accomplish their task and their goal. Some will experience pain with every step, exhilaration when a friend yells their name, a moment of calm when a volunteer hands them a cup of water and offers encouragement, some may even experience gastro-intestinal distress. All will feel something when they cross the line near our state’s Capitol. Relief, joy, agony, pride, overwhelming emotions.

Several close friends will make their journey on Sunday. To each of you, the best of luck. We will be there in full throated support. To each and every athlete, the best of luck to you. We will be yelling equally as loud for you, and handing out the same amount of water.  We’re all friends on race day.  The hours of training, early morning and late night runs, the eating of goo is soon to pay off. I am proud of each and every one of you.

Today is Friday and that brings us to a new food rule. Here we go:

Wake up on Sunday and go cheer on the athletes of the Twin Cities Marathon. They will inspire you, bring smiles to your faces, and impress you by what they are accomplishing. Who knows, you might just eat better the rest of the day simply by cheering. And quite possibly, sign up for your first marathon.

Happy Friday.

Monkey see. Monkey do.

October 3, 2012
Barriers to Exercise, Children, Exercise, Scientific Studies
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At the end of an article appearing in this morning’ s New York Times the following statement is made:

“Kids naturally love to run around and play,” Dr. Booth said. “But they’re just not doing it as much now. And we don’t know why. So what we really need to understand is, what’s happening to our kids that makes them quit wanting to play?”

A fascinating question and it is asked in the context of new research showing that structured fitness interventions for children don’t make kids more active. Whether the fitness interventions are providing 90 minutes of vigorous activity or 30 minutes of moderate exercise it seems that kids do what their parents do: sit when they’re done. They compensate. Just worked out? Time to sit. Sound familiar? Our friends at the University of Copenhagen demonstrated the same thing in adults. We exercise, we sit. The more we exercise, the more we sit. At least we’re equal opportunity, giving fitness and obesity both a fair shot at grabbing us.

Across the board the children’s total time spent in physical activity increased by an average of only 5 minutes, in some studies even less, when they were part of a children’s exercise program. Why? How could this be? A suggested theory, in addition to increased sitting as compensation, is that the interventions took place when the kids would have been active on their own (i.e. after school). This thought suggests that rather than increasing activity levels by introducing new and fun things to do the interventions simply changed how the kids were being active. If kids are being active let them play. On their own. By themselves.

Both theories, increased sitting and simply changing how kids are active, are plausible. My guess is both are at play. No pun intended. The question remains, why don’t fitness programs for kids increase activity levels?

“It’s a really difficult problem,” said Frank Booth, a professor of physiology at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

At least Dr. Booth is honest, however, we need to solve it. Dr. Booth suggests we need to identify the appropriate time for the interventions (I say during math class, children will remember their arithmetic more readily), and also calls us as parents out (Thank you!) stating that moms and dads can encourage leaving of the couch by “subverting” their children’s desire to sit . I’m all for subversion.

This leads us to the eternal question of parenthood, what’s the best way to trick our kids? Whether it be getting them to eat their broccoli, to go to bed, to stop crying in the aisle of Target, or to be more active, how do we do it? Hmmmm.

“A welcoming setting may also be key…the most important determinant of how much the youngsters moved — or didn’t — was their local built environment. Children with more opportunities to be outside, in a safe, well-designed space, were more likely to be outside, romping.”

Say what? I will not let my kids ‘romp.’ That is just not right! Oops focussing on the wrong word.  I digress, I’ve got it now, you mean if we create safe and fun opportunities for our children to be outside, they’ll actually do it? They’ll go play? Whoa. Let me get this straight, if I change the built environment by turning off the tv, they won’t watch it? They’ll go play? Earth shattering.

Does it really surprise us that kids sit after they exercise? We do the same thing. Monkey see, monkey do. Whether you agree with Charles Barkley or not, we are all role models. If we go outside our kids will to. Want to know the best way to not have our kids sit on the couch in front of the tv? Don’t have a couch in front of the tv. Change the built environment. Have you ever rearranged the living room only to discover on your first attempt at laying down post-rearrangement that you can’t get comfortable andsee the tv? Note to self: don’t rearrange the living room based on tv accessibility and viewing comfort. You’ll just lay down more and watch nearly five hours of television (average American viewing habits). And so will your kids.

I have a wall hanging, a picture of kids playing in the leaves, that was stitched for me by a babysitter when I was young. “Let them play and they shall have their wisdom.” That was 1975. My babysitter was onto something. I wonder if she was secretly an exercise physiologist?

Get More Better and More Smarter

September 26, 2012
Children, Exercise, Scientific Studies
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My english teaching mother is upset, but we move on.  Big test coming up? Want to impress your friends by juggling bottles of beer? Exercise. Exercise before you study, before you practice that juggling. Exercise after too. The University of Copenhagen is giving us things to talk about, as is the New York Times. Last week researchers from Copenhagen told us that 60 minutes of exercise may cause us to eat and sit more when compared to 30 minutes of exercise. This week they’re telling us that if you exercise before you learn a new skill or after you learn that skill you will more readily remember that skill.

Think about splitting wood. I am sure you do this all the time. It’s a skill I struggle with, the ax hitting the wood part. Give me a wood splitter and I’m set, however, I tend to miss the wood more than strike it when I pick up the ax. Being that we heat our home by wood in the winter months this could be problematic. (Each year I am saved by Craigslist and people selling split wood). Invariably once or twice a summer I find a couple of large pieces of wood and say, “I can split you.” I take a few whacks, each with increasing intensity and error. Sparks fly when I hit the concrete and my neighbors have expressed concern for my safety. The lawn service owner with the mechanical advantage who lives behind us likes to laugh at the college professor with no advantage in all things physical skill related.

This latest research demonstrates that once I’ve hit the wood square a few times, ie learned the skill, I should drop the ax and go for a run. In so doing I will more aptly remember that skill the next time I attempt it. A similar effect occurs if I were to exercise prior to chopping wood. In the present study men were asked to learn a new motor skill: to follow a cursor as it drew a line on a computer screen and using a joystick to immediately trace the line. The goal was to stay on the line and as close to the cursor as possible. There were three groups: resting, exercising immediately before learning the new skill, and exercising immediately after the skill was learned. The exercise was 15 minutes of vigorous cycling.

The men repeated the cursor tracing-line chasing experiment one hour later, one day later, and one week after the skill was learned. After an hour, the group who exercised after learning the skill fared slightly worse than the others. However, one week after the test, that same group (exercise after learning of the skill) tested significantly better than both the other groups. The group exercising before learning the new skill tested well after a week too, beating the resting group. Seems that exercise helps to solidify the learning of new skills. And that timing is everything. The researchers also report on promising preliminary data suggesting that young children subsequently test better when they have exercised after learning a new concept in class. In both situations, learning of a new physical or cognitive skill, the researchers suggest that exercise stimulates certain brain chemicals to be produced which subsequently improve memory and learning.

Today I will stop class a few minutes short and have my class go for a walk. They’ll become smarter than they already are. And more fit.

This weekend Papa and Grandma are coming for a visit. Our 4 year old wants her Papa to teach her how to ride her two wheel bike. There will be struggles and I will not interfere with a Papa’s work and joy. As soon as she learns that skill, once she is sturdy and balanced on the bike, my daughter and I will run around the block. A race it will be and I will surely get beat. That is just fine by me.

11.

September 21, 2012
Behavior Change, Exercise, Food Descriptives, Food Environment, Food Rules
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11. That is the number of ads related to nutrition and food that I see on the 100 foot walk from my car, past the front desk, and into the locker room at my fitness center. Or at least that’s how many we’re present today. Plus or minus on any given day. A small sampling:

Must be something about pushups that appeals to people.

The other day I discussed the University of Copenhagen study that supposedly demonstrated that if you exercise for 60 minutes you become less active and eat more throughout your day compared to exercising for 30 minutes. I suggested this may be partially explained by learned behavior. I am so bombarded with messages about nutrition while I exercise I have a hard time ignoring them. “Optimize in 45″ is the latest theme at my fitness center, enforcing the idea that I need to refuel within 45 minutes of wrapping up my workout. “Grab a protein shake, perhaps a smoothie. In a hurry? Use the machine. You must do something, your workout is meaningless if you don’t,” is the message, and equally important is the signal to buy it there, just go to the cafe where they can help you out. Argh.

I don’t doubt that 60 minutes of exercise allows people to sit more and eat more though out the day. However, it’s not just physiological, it’s psychological. From rationalizing the behavior because of the long workout to falling victim to the marketing, the mind is a powerful player. Layer on top of this that some people are addicted to food and there goes consumption after we workout.

Every ten feet I am told to think nutrition, to eat something. To optimize. To get ready for tomorrow’s exercise. To prepare for today’s exercise. To combat the afternoon snoozes. Seems to me, according to my fitness center, I should be eating all the time. “Have a meeting? Grab a protein laced coffee. Driving to your next appointment? Fuel up with bar, they can be eaten with one hand. Just hanging out in your office? Gobble up a ‘no need for a reason’ energy shake.” No wonder the aforementioned study demonstrated consumption went up with more exercise. We are told that the longer, the harder, we workout, the more we need food. And that we need it now. By the time you get out the door you had better have swallowed 300 calories of you’re screwed.

Refuel. Recharge. Optimize. But what if you simply walked for 30 minutes on the treadmill? A wonderful workout, however, you needn’t refuel upon finishing. If I grabbed a 400 calorie bar under the guise of recovering, and I only burned 300 calories during that walk, one could argue that the exercise just caused me to gain weight. Recovery nutrition is key, when you need it. You will get no argument from me there. Nutrition in every sense of the word is vitally important to the success of elite athletes. Agreed. However, I have yet to read a study that shows a typical workout at the local fitness center requires appropriate refueling strategies. We simply are not exercising hard enough or long enough.

In a few minutes I’ll wrap up my workout and walk the gauntlet from the exercise floor to the locker room to the car. I’ll do my best to dodge the hype of food. I’ll duck here, dodge there. Ill be told to “Evolve.”

Invariably I will get hit. Perhaps I’ll succumb to the last reminder, plastered on the exit door, telling me to optimize. Whew, already out the door.   I’ll just go grab some breakfast:

 

It’s Friday and here comes the food rule:

Don’t do it.  Don’t recover, refuel, optimize.  Don’t rationalize.  Ask yourself, do I really need this snack?  If the answer is an unqualified “yes,” go for it.  If not, walk away.  Just walk away. I know it is not that easy, but just think about it.  Actually think about it.  Don’t just eat because the incredibly lean man on the mirror in the fitness center tells you to.

Happy Friday.

For the birds

September 14, 2012
Behavior Change, Exercise, Food Rules, Scientific Studies
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This one’s for the birds. The early bird gets the worm. Birds of a feather flock together. One in the hand is worth two in the bush. How many bird analogies exist? More than I care to imagine, no ornithology background here. Maybe I should talk to my math friend who studies swarming.   All of these analogies are appropriate in the context of an article to be published in next month’s Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, the official research journal of the American College of Sports Medicine.  The article is previewed in the Stone Hearth Newsletter.

The purpose of the completed research was to determine how moderate to vigorous exercise in the morning influenced thoughts about, and consumption of, food later in the day. In this case, the early bird skips the worm and leaves it for those who are still sleeping. Nice bird. Researchers at BYU had 35 women (18 of normal weight and 17 clinically obese) exercise for 45 minutes on two separate occasions. They all exercised early in the morning and were on a treadmill. All the subjects then had their brains interviewed (ie, brain activity was measured while they looked at images of food and flowers, where the flowers served as a control). Finally, their consumption was tracked throughout the day.

Interestingly women, when they exercised, demonstrated lower brain activity when shown images of food. This occurred regardless of their body weight. These early rising and exercising women were simply less interested in, and less motivated by, food. Hallelujah!  I need some of that.  And the effect of the morning exercise lingered throughout the day as the exercising women did not consume more food when compared to the non-exercise day. This is key. At times we rationalize our food consumption through exercise, as if to say, “I worked out this morning, I deserve this Kit Kat.” Didn’t happen in this study. Good news. This result was independent of bodyweight, the women of normal weight didn’t consume more nor did the obese women.

The study was small, 45 participants, but yet the results are exciting. If morning exercise does influence food motivation and consumption, it’s time to set the alarm to “Gym thirty.” I’m not sure how or why exercise exerts this influence, but one thought is that morning exercise simply makes us feel good. We are emboldened for the day. “Hey everybody, I got up early and worked out. While you were sleeping. I did that! I’m proud of myself! I feel great!” and if you feel like that at 7:00 am then maybe you feel empowered to make better choices throughout the rest of the day. The impact of exercise snowballs. And that 8:00 am meeting with Joe, no problem.

It’s Friday and that means food rule. We’re keeping today’s theme and going exercise, you know what’s coming:

Set you’re clock to gym thirty, as in gym:30. Seriously, give morning exercise a shot. If it’s not you, well at least your tried. Ultimately we need to exercise when we can and at a time that is sustainable, but give it a try. For years while I was growing up my mother rose bright and early and walked Zeke around the lake in Worthington, MN. She’d be back from her 5 mile excursion before my sisters and I awoke. She felt wonderful. Zeke was our dog, he felt good too. I could tell.

Happy Friday.

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