New York, NY – According to a new study, some people’s bodies stop burning extra calories beyond a certain level. This may come as unwelcome news to the millions who exercise to lose weight.
The lead author of the study, Herman Pontzer of the Department of Anthropology at City University of New York says, “We’re taught that there’s a simple one-to-one relationship between activity levels and energy expenditure, that the more active you are, the more calories your body burns every day.”
However, the new research shows that our bodies may adapt to higher levels of activity, meaning that they may not burn extra calories, even if we tend to exercise more.
The study measured the daily energy expenditure and activity levels of more than 300 men and women in five countries (including the U.S., Jamaica, and South Africa), over the course of one week. The number of calories burned during exercise was found to reach a plateau.
According The Guardian, notes the physical activity “sweet spot” that is highlighted in the study. Exercising too little can make one unhealthy, but too much drives the body to make big adaptations, therefore constraining total energy expenditure.
This may explain why many people see some weight loss in the short term, but stop seeing progress after a while when it comes to exercise.
Pontzer emphasizes that his results should not devalue exercise in any way at all. Exercise is still extremely important to physical and mental health.
“What our work adds is that her also need to focus on diet, particularity when it comes to managing our weight and preventing or reversing unhealthy weight gain,” Pontzer added.
This new evidence gives even further validity to other kinds of exercise that don’t just focus on losing weight — in other words, exercising for other reasons. For instance, joining an adult gymnastics or soccer league is a change to socialize and build moral. White water rafting, which has the 155-pound average person burning 352 calories per hour, and an average 180-pound person burn 409 calories per hour, is a great way to lose weight and have fun while enjoying the outdoors.