One of the interesting studies during my doctorate involved training overweight women for three months. My objective was to measure their food intake as well as their energy expenditure. The women were subjected to five workouts a week, three of which were in the laboratory. All components of the energy balance were measured repeatedly through rigorous testing. Women were not to diet or restrict themselves in their diet.
The results of the study revealed that some people (bars in black) compensated perfectly for the energy they burned through exercise. This means that for every calorie expended in training, they ingested an additional calorie in their diet or they decreased their energy expenditure in their other activities.
Some of the subjects (bars in gray) did not fully compensate for the expense created through exercise and therefore lost weight. With these results, it was possible to see that there is an interindividual difference with regard to weight loss. So, if you're not losing weight through physical activity, you may be a full compensator (black bars).
3 tips if your goal is to lose weight
A first advice that I can give you is to have a balanced diet. In particular, become aware of what you eat before, during and after your workout. For long-duration exercise, it's true that sports drinks, gels and bars can be helpful, but for hour-long exercise, it's usually unnecessary. Choose water when you feel thirsty.
The second piece of advice I can give you is to maintain the daily activity that you do. One trick you can focus on is making sure you keep the number of steps you take constant each day. The use of a tool like a pedometer is interesting. Keep in mind that you should keep your step count constant, even if you've been exercising during the day.
To do this, I advise you to first establish your base level. Determine the number of steps you take each day for three weeks and then establish the average. Then, start your training and continue to measure the number of steps taken. I encourage you to write down your results for a few weeks. Thus, you will see if you manage to maintain what you used to do. Step by step, I advise you to increase and remember that according to Statistics Canada, it is recommended to take 10 steps a day!
In addition, committing to a concrete goal, as a group, is certainly a good way to maintain motivation over time. That's good, that's exactly what the Business Challenge offers you! To find out more about the Challenge or to register your business, choose the city of your choice:
Marie-Eve Riou, Ph.D.
marieeve@defientreprises.com
Phone: 1.855 249 3131#5
