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Polish soldiers from 18th Mechanized Division guard Poland’s border with Belarus as a part of the operation ‘Secure Podlasie’
(New York, NY) — You’re not burning as many calories as you think with exercise. A recent study from researchers at Duke University challenges the common belief that exercise by itself burns a large number of calories and leads to significant weight loss. Researchers found the body often compensates for the calories burned during aerobic workouts by lowering energy use in other areas. Basically, the body maintains a relatively stable daily calorie burn, rather than simply adding all the calories burned through exercise on top of a baseline. As a result, even intense aerobic workouts may not lead to as much weight loss as expected, because the body adjusts to conserve energy.
The study also suggests that not all forms of activity behave the same. Strength training appears to burn more calories than initially thought, likely because repairing muscle tissue requires additional energy. Experts say it’s still important to get physical activity because exercise still plays a key role in overall health. It boosts cardiovascular fitness, improving hormone regulation, and reducing disease risk. However, for weight management specifically, diet remains a crucial partner to exercise.
