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Recently a writer for Time Magazine, John Cloud, wrote a very controversial article titled: "Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin." (It absolutely PAINS me to link to that article as it was probably just a big ploy to drive web traffic to Time Magazine, but you should be given the opportunity to read it and evaluate how big of an idiot John Cloud is anyway!)
Note: I call him an idiot, not because he said something as ignorant as "exercise makes you more fat," because he gives a half-minded compelling reason to think that, no, he’s an idiot because of the way he strung together and misinterpreted a bunch of already known conclusions about diet and exercise and obesity to try to make a controversial point and drive more traffic to Time Magazine’s website…
So to defend us exercise enthusiasts consider this…
First, I have to admit: I make 100% of my living off of helping people get into amazing shape, and that does include exercise.
So, yes, I’m a little over-protective of my field when it comes to topics like this and an "idiot" journalist trying to make such accusations as "exercise makes you fatter." But hear me out… I do have a Master’s degree, I’ve produced research and contributed to other’s research in the field, and have personally witnessed a countless number of people make huge body transformations through my sound exercise and nutrition advice.
Mr. Cloud’s main thesis in the article is that "pushing people to exercise more is contributing to our obesity problem."
He says that vigorous exercise just makes you hungrier and more likely to have that big cheeseburger and fries every night, thus negating the positive effects of the exercise.
Are you kidding John Cloud?? Exercise will make us fatter???
The truth is that exercise by itself pretty much does suck for making us lose weight. No new surprises there Mr. Cloud… there have been a number of studies that have demonstrated only 1.5 to 2 pounds of fat loss after 12 weeks of vigorous exercise alone, which is not a lot considering the effort.
But does that mean Mr. Cloud is right… that exercise is contributing to our obesity problems?
Of course not! That’s asinine. In Mr. Cloud’s attempt to be controversial he’s actually been irresponsible… spreading another message of apathy and hopelessness for our pathetic, passive, sedentary lives.
The REAL Truth…
The fact is exercise is an important part of every person’s life and vigorous exercise is even better. (see Travis Harwood’s Master’s Thesis that demonstrated significantly more fat loss from vigorous exercise than moderate… also see George Beckham’s article in the Elite Fitness Newsletter this last January reporting on research that demonstrated the place and value of vigorous exercise!)
Our "obesity problems" come from something else… a giant cluster of "lifestyle problems" that we Americans "enjoy" (many of which Cloud points out in the article)… elevators and escalators to avoid using our muscles, sitting on our ass in a taxi instead of walking, using the remote control instead of moving a limb to change what passive entertainment we’re going to enjoy for the next hour of sitting on our ass… You get the point right?
And this isn’t even to mention the over-consumption of fat and sugar calories that make us a walking (or should I say "sitting") bag of insulin reaping havoc on our bodies and growing our fat cells!
Exercise doesn’t suck! Exercise is our best hope for "covering-up" the above problems (without actually solving them by going back to our hunter/gatherer ancestors way of life) as well as giving us a whole bunch of other very positive benefits. Here’s what Cloud left out about exercise:
- It preserves muscle mass with advancing age – a key factor in independence into our senior years
- It leads to enhanced aerobic and anaerobic fitness – two other key factors in successful aging
- It creates important biochemical changes – reducing disease risk and mortality rates
- It improves cognitive function and mood – resulting in an ehanced quality of life
Of course, I do agree that exercise – without a good nutrition plan and the other 5 components of Athlon Elite’s system – doesn’t deliver on weight loss promises all that well.
But "don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater," exercise with a good nutrition plan and the other steps of Athlon Elite’s 7-Component system repeatedly
- improve muscle strength,
- increase lean body mass
- decrease fat mass,
- improve blood pressure
- improve cholesterol
- and, improve how happy and productive a person is
And that my friends is a BIG LEAP in the right direction of FAT LOSS!
The sad part…
Mr. Cloud writes in his article that he himself, despite regularly participating in vigorous exercise (some of it with a personal trainer), still has "gut fat" and is dissatisfied with his body. He writes:
This isn’t only sad because he still has "gut fat," it’s sad because his disdain for exercise has lead him to write this terrible article that may dissuade thousands of others from exercising.
And that will definitely "contribute to our nation’s obesity problem!"
Find out how you can avoid poor Mr. Cloud’s unhappy situation. Call today and take Athlon Elite’s 7-Component system on a FREE trial. No cost… No obligation… Just good healthy EXERCISE and lifestyle improvements!
(805) 440-0215
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