When most people decide to "lose weight" the first step is to join a gym or start an exercise program. That's a good idea for a lot of reasons.

But there's a good chance it won't help you lose weight. In fact, studies show that an exercise program might even cause you to GAIN weight.

In today's message, you'll find out why... plus you'll discover the right way to exercise and the true secret to lasting weight loss... 

It's Time We Get Off Our Lazy Butts... Right?

In the last 20-plus years, the number of overweight children and adolescents has tripled. Adults have fared just as poorly. Currently almost 70% of Americans are considered overweight or obese.

One of the most common explanations for the obesity epidemic is that our society has become too sedentary. We just don't exercise enough.

It might surprise you to learn that this message gained traction as a result of the efforts of lobbyists for the fast food, soft drinks, candy, snacks and processed food industries.

These groups want you to believe that the reasons we've become so fat have nothing do with how much or the types of food we put in our mouths. It's because we're all just too lazy.

In other words, it's okay to eat whatever and however much you want... as long as you exercise.

This propaganda began over two decades ago when President Bush and the Department of Health and Human Services were drafting the government's recommendations to deal with the obesity crisis.

The food industry saw this as a potential threat. They were concerned the government might recommend eating less processed junk food (Gasp!). So they mobilized an army of lobbyists to shape the government's message.

Around this time, a documentary came out called Killer at Large: Why Obesity is America's Greatest Threat. It featured numerous clips of food lobbyists and executives in the processed food industry. Invariably, they denied that the obesity crisis has anything to do with the foods and beverages they market.

Over and over, they stressed that we are just not as active as we should be.

It should come as no surprise that the government soon adopted their platform.

To deliver the message, they chose Shrek, the lovable green ogre. In 2007, the U.S. Department of Health used your tax dollars to blanket the airwaves with public service ads where Shrek urged kids to, "Get up and play an hour a day."

That's great advice.

But that wasn't the only promotional work Shrek was doing at the time...

You could also see his ugly mug on packages of Snickers, Skittles, Froot Loops, Pop-Tarts and M&Ms. McDonald's put his image on restaurant windows and food bags. Cheetos made a snack that would turn your mouth green. And the Shrek version of Twinkies had a bright green filling!

The obvious message is that there is no problem with these foods... as long as you exercise.

Of course, many of us SHOULD be more active. But the truth is...

The Population Has NOT Grown More Sedentary

Studies show that physical activity has NOT declined significantly in the last thirty years (see endnotes for references). We may sit in front of the computer more today, but before that it was the television. And the numbers of people who have gym memberships and participate in workout programs today are near all-time highs.

So, if our population hasn't become more sedentary, then why have we become so fat?

Numerous studies show that the U.S. epidemic of obesity is clearly related to the increased food energy (and the types of food) we consume.

The food manufacturers don't want you to know it, but no matter how much you work out, it will never be as important to your body composition as what you put in your mouth. And all you have to do is step on a treadmill to prove it...

You Can't Out Train a Bad Diet

Most treadmills have a function that calculates the calories you burn as you exercise. Try it some time. It is an unforgettable reminder about just how much work it takes to burn off calorie-dense foods.

The number of calories you burn depends on your weight and the intensity of your exercise. Here is a rule of thumb. If you weigh 125 pounds, you will burn approximately 600 calories running for one hour (at a 10 minute per mile pace). If you weigh 175 pounds, you will burn 600 calories in about 45 minutes.

The problem is that it can take only minutes to eat a few slices of pizza and wash it down with a tall glass of coke (about 1,000 calories). Or consider that a Starbucks Frappuccino with whipped cream will set you back 550 calories. A large chocolate shake from McDonald's: 1,160 calories.
 

Now consider what it would take to burn off those calories...

As you can see, even the most strenuous activity is no match for poor food choices. So, ignore the propaganda issued by the processed food industry.

The food you eat - not how much you exercise - is the key to at least 80% of the fat-loss equation.

In fact, if you exercise the way most weight loss specialists, government agencies and medical organizations tell you to, you will probably GAIN fat!

Do You Work Out 90 Minutes... Every Day?

In 2007, the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association issued a joint statement recommending "60 to 90 minutes of physical activity" for weight loss.

And they were not talking about 60 to 90 minutes per week... that was per day!

Your doctor probably says the same thing. And you often see the same advice in magazines. When it comes to exercise, we've been told, "More is better!" The way to get in shape and lose weight is to exercise longer.

The truth is that this kind of exercise - long duration cardio - is counterproductive to your fat loss efforts (not to mention, potentially damaging to your health).

For now, let's discuss just one reason why long duration cardio could make you gain weight...

People who Exercise More... Eat More

The problem with long-duration cardio is that while it does burn calories it can also make you ravenously hungry (particularly for sugar and carbohydrates). It can also make us feel as if we're entitled to make bad food choices... "I worked out today... I deserve this!"

Studies clearly show that people who exercise more tend to eat more.

One study of 538 students, published in the International Journal of Obesity found that when kids start to exercise, they eat more - in fact, they ate an average of 100 calories more than they burned during their exercise.
 

Another review of studies related to exercise and weight loss was published by the International Association for the study of Obesity. The authors acknowledged that most exercise interventions fail to deliver anything but modest weight loss. They concluded that the small magnitude of weight loss is, "primarily due to a concomitant increase in caloric intake."

Talk about getting "stuck on a treadmill."

Numerous other studies show that...

Exercise Alone - Especially Long Duration Cardio - is Ineffective for Weight Loss

The most comprehensive of these is the Cochrane Collaboration, a review of more than 43 peer-reviewed exercise studies. The average regimen prescribed in these studies was 45 minutes, four days a week.
 

The studies that compared "diet only" to "exercise only" showed that the dieters lost between 6 and 30 pounds, while the exercisers lost between 1 and 9 pounds.
 

Other studies compared "diet and exercise" with "diet alone." In these studies, the average weight loss for diet and exercise was 8 to 39 pounds. The groups that focused exclusively on diet lost between 5 and 37 pounds.

The results are clear. Exercise without attention to nutrition is virtually ineffective for weight loss. And in many cases, it can be counterproductive.
 

Before we continue, I want to make clear that I am NOT suggesting that exercise is not important to your health...

Why You SHOULD Exercise

The health and emotional benefits of regular exercise are undeniable...

Countless studies show that even low-level exertion can improve nearly every risk factor for disease. It can dramatically reduce your odds of cancer, heart disease and diabetes. It can help alleviate chronic pain. It can strengthen your bones and increase their mass.
 

It can lift your mood and alleviate depression. It can even improve memory and thinking and cause new brain cells to form.
 

It is sure to give you greater energy, stamina, confidence and longevity.

And the list goes on. So you SHOULD exercise.

And here's even more great news...

The Right Kind of Exertion Will Rapidly Transform Your Body

You've already seen why exercise alone is no match for a poor diet.

But when you combine the right foods with the right kind of exertion, your body will respond faster than you ever thought possible!
 

Fat will melt away, seemingly without effort. Lean muscle will take its place and you will rapidly move toward your ideal weight. You will have more energy and greater mental clarity.
 

And these changes will occur without hunger and denial... and without hours of boring cardio. In fact, you can accomplish all of this while enjoying delicious and filling meals and "working out" an average of just 15 to 30 minutes, three to five days a week!
 

So What is the "Right Kind" of Exercise?

I would suggest that the right kind of exercise is the same kind that our biological ancestors engaged in for thousands of years...
 

That would include lots of moving around at a low level of exertion... occasionally lifting heavy things... and occasionally exerting ourselves near our maximum capacity for short periods of time.
 

The way to model this in the modern world is to walk frequently and often. Sprint occasionally. And lift weights or engage in other resistance and weight-bearing exercises several times per week.

Focus on Intensity Rather than Duration

If your goal is to burn fat and make the greatest impact on your health, focus on the INTENSITY of your exercise more than the duration.

Keep in mind that "intensity" is a relative term. For a 25-year-old runner, it might mean sprinting up hills. For someone who hasn't walked around the block in two years, it might mean walking at a faster pace than normal or perhaps jogging for short distances.

The idea is to exert at 70 to 90 percent of YOUR maximum capacity for "intervals" of 30 seconds to around two minutes in duration. Then, while you continue to move, dial down your effort for a couple minutes to recover. After this brief, active rest, raise the intensity again for a minute or two. Repeat six to eight times.

As you become accustomed to the activity, gradually increase the INTENSITY of your workouts... rather than the duration.

Studies show that this kind of "burst training" burns fat much more effectively than long-duration cardio. The intensity also causes your body to burn fat at an elevated rate for a longer period of time after your workout is complete.

This kind of exertion has also been shown to build heart and lung capacity and dramatically improve insulin sensitivity and reduce the symptoms of diabetes.

And not only will you be huffing and puffing, but you'll have completed a highly beneficial workout in less than 20 minutes!

Add Strength and Resistance

In addition to exercises that build your heart and lung capacity, you should also do some form of resistance exercise - or strength training. Resistance exercise will not only improve your appearance and increase strength... it will also raise your metabolism, making it that much easier to burn off fat.

Building muscle has also been shown to boost your brain power. And it can even improve your immune system.

This is because the cells of your immune system are produced from protein. And when you have well-developed muscles, you have a ready supply of protein to make these antibodies and cells in times of need.

Why You Need to Move... Every Day!

Physical activity should be as high a priority as eating and sleeping.

Do the things you enjoy, so exercise is never a boring chore. But be sure to engage in some form of exertion at least five days a week and some form of resistance (muscle-building) exercise at least two or three times per week.

As we discussed earlier in this article, our lack of exercise is not the main culprit in the obesity epidemic. However, it is certainly true that too many of us go from the bed to a car to a desk to a couch and then back to bed again, without breaking a sweat.

And research shows just how harmful this can be...

In a study at the University of Missouri-Columbia, researchers had a group of rats run on exercise wheels consistently for three weeks. Then they locked the wheels. Within only 48 hours they found that the rat's sensitivity to insulin dropped by one third. They also found that insulin sensitivity continued to decrease the longer the rats were inactive.

Decreased sensitivity to insulin is a precursor for just about every degenerative disease. And exercise is one of the best ways to increase your sensitivity.

In conclusion, I'd like for you to make a commitment that for the next two weeks you won't let a day go by without doing some form of exercise.

Vigorous exercise is best. But even if all you have time for on some days is a walk around the block... or 20 push-ups... a few bodyweight squats... or 10 minutes of stretching before bed... do something!

And don't forget that exercise is only part of the equation... when it comes to weight loss in particular, your diet is a far more important factor. It is what you eat - not how hard you try to work it off - that matters. If you don't eat right, no amount of exercise can make up for it.

The mainstream mantra for weight loss is: Eat less and exercise more.

Forget that.

Your mantra should be: Eat better and exercise smarter.

To Your Health,

Kelley Herring
Editor & CEO
Healing Gourmet