Don’t Undo Your Hard Work

It can be very tempting to treat yourself to a Saturday night steak and cheese or a Sunday morning doughnut, with the rationale “Hey, I worked out today.” However more and more research is showing that physical activity, while helpful for overall mental and physical health, may not help us shed all the pounds we want. One reason for this is because our attempts to justify our "calories in" don’t match the reality of the calories we spent, or "calories out".  Consider that a steak and cheese sub is 980 calories, and a two mile walk burns about 200 calories, it’s obvious that the math doesn’t add up.  All those extra calories need to go somewhere.

This does not mean that all that moving doesn’t count! Exercise and physical activity are important for looking and feeling your best. Moving makes your heart stronger, can improve your memory and make your immune system fight a little harder for you. It is also great for helping you maintain your weight and keep the great healthful momentum you have going.

One of the best ways to make exercise and eating well work for you is to plan. Plan what you will eat over the weekend, and how you will move; plan a Saturday walk with a pal instead of a Sunday brunch. This will help to ensure you fit in that exercise even when time is unstructured. It will also help prevent ordering that cookie at the deli counter that has the potential to undo the all your hard work!