• You simply cannot exercise away a poor diet and expect to lose weight (if that is your goal). Humans are very good at conserving energy and will account for any calories burned through exercise by consuming more calories later in the day or by being less physically active throughout the rest of the day.
• That being said, you can — and should — use exercise to help you lose weight and maintain your weight loss. But remember that you cannot out-run a bad diet.
• If you are looking to lose weight, the only way to do it is by controlling your calorie intake. The best and most effective way of doing that is limiting the consumption of ultra-processed foods — typical “junk foods” and packaged foods. Even if you are not trying to lose weight, reducing ultra-processed food consumption is good for mental and physical health.
• Regular exercise makes it easier to do this by improving the brain and cognitive processes that help us regulate junk food consumption, and by reducing stress. And the best part is, as little as 20 minutes of brisk walking is all you need to get the beneficial effects.
• When people are stressed, the body releases a hormone called cortisol, which activates what is known as the fight-or-flight response. When cortisol levels are high, the brain thinks it needs more fuel, resulting in increased cravings for sugary or salty ultra-processed foods.
• Ultra-processed junk foods have been designed to be as tasty and rewarding as possible. When we are exposed to media advertisements, or actual food items (for example, chocolate bars in the checkout lane at grocery stores), brain activity in regions associated with reward processing increases. This reward-related brain activity results in increased food cravings and the drive to eat, even when we are not hungry.
• Research has shown that stress can result in decreased activity in the prefrontal cortex (rational, logical and decision making part of the brain) and increased activity in reward regions of the brain when looking at pictures of food. This makes it harder to resist the temptation of appealing junk foods.
• Exercise decreases stress and resets our logical part of the brain. Twenty minutes of brisk walking can help the prefrontal cortex recover from negative impact of stress and enables better decision making.
• Next time you are feeling stressed, try going for a brisk 20-minute walk. It could prevent you from stress-eating.
• At the end of the day, the best exercise is one you enjoy and can sustain over time.
• The key takeaway here is that regular exercise can reduce how much people want junk foods and improve their ability to resist the temptation of these appealing foods by improving brain function and cognition. This makes it easier to limit the consumption of these foods to achieve healthier eating and weight loss goals.
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