An Appetite For Success

 

Exercise isn’t for everyone. Rather amusingly, last week we had three spinners down at the studio that quite clearly stated they hated spinning. We don’t take it personally; it’s not for everyone as it is an extreme form of HIIT (Highintensity Interval Training) exercise, but fair play to them for giving it a go. Obviously the desire to make a change in their lifestyle was strong enough for them to try it out. If this type of exercise isn’t for you though, it’s worth remembering that you rarely get something for nothing, and this is also true of exercise and weight management. Exercise can be discomforting as can reducing the amount of calories your body is used to consuming. Of course, some people find the latter harder than others, but you can use exercise to make it easier to manage.

One of the main reasons some people gain more body fat than others is your relationship with hunger and satiety hormones, particularly ghrelin and leptin. In essence, some larger people generally experience the discomfort of not feeling full to a greater degree and for longer periods of time. We’ve mentioned in previous articles on weight management about how there is a need to train the body to become accustomed to needing to eat less (by essentially eating less) which increases the body’s sensitivity to leptin; the knock-on effect being the degree of discomfort associated with a reduced calorie intake is gradually lessened over a period of a few days. There is another crafty mechanism, which you can also exploit; and that is to just exercise damn hard!

 

There are numerous benefits to intense exercise, ranging from higher levels of fat burning to insulin sensitivity, but one often over-looked benefit is the effect of intense exercise on appetite. The mechanisms underlying the anorectic effects of exercise are not known, but it is suggested that intense exercise may reduce food intake by facilitating the release of CRF (corticotropin releasing factor) a potent anorectic peptid.

So, how do you tell if the type of exercise you are performing is intense enough? Well its actually quite straightforward; an oldfashioned heart rate monitor is still the best way. As the energy requirements increase, so does your heart rate to provide the energy.

Therefore, any vigorous team sports or intense cardio sessions will do the trick. In recent years, weight training has tried to pass itself off as HIIT, but in most weight training sessions the heart rate is on average significantly lower overall than, for example a competitive soccer or hockey match.

If you can’t stand spinning, try out some team sports until you find the exercise that works for you. You’ll need to keep the heart rate elevated for extended durations, but if you’re enjoying yourself, it isn’t going to seem so long. Enjoy!

 

Jon Robinson is an Exercise Physiologist (not Personal Trainer) and co-owner of SpinbackFitness.

www.spinbackfitness.com