How Many Calories Will You Burn Doing Chores This Weekend?
Dylan Armajani: Run Past Your Goals and Find Yourself
Single Bursts of Exercise Can Help Burn Fat
Posted on May 24th 2010 1:00PM by Jonny BowdenFiled Under: Jonny's Take, Diet & Weight Loss
Getty
My readers know about insulin resistance -- that metabolic state in which the cells become less able to "listen" to insulin. This matters because insulin is a fat-storage hormone -- when it gets ignored, it hangs around in the bloodstream longer, essentially locking the doors to the fat cells and making fat "burning" fiendishly difficult. Insulin resistance is a central feature of metabolic syndrome and, for many people, it figures prominently in the inability to lose weight. (A high number of overweight people are insulin resistant). You don't want insulin resistance -- you want insulin sensitivity.
In the University of Michigan study, researchers put a small group of obese women into one of two trials. In the first trial, they overate, consuming about 700 calories above what they needed to just maintain their "normal" weight. In the second trial, they also overate about 700 calories, but they exercised to the point where they burned up those extra calories.
Although the study was very small, the findings are interesting if they could be replicated in larger trials. The researchers found that even a single bout of exercise made a difference in their fat-burning ability. Not surprisingly, the researchers found that overeating did the exact opposite -- it suppressed fat burning. The good news is that even one single workout decreased fat stored in the muscles and helped the subjects become less insulin resistant.
"This study shows that even a single bout of exercise helps obese individuals increase their body's fat-burning rate and improve their metabolic health," Andrea Cornford, co-author of the study and researcher at the University of Michigan, said in a press release.
Jonny Bowden, author, nutritionist and weight loss coach cuts through all the misconceptions about diet and fitness to help you transform your body, your health and your life. You can visit his Web site to learn more.
