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Today’s Health Upgrade
Fact or fiction: cardio and long-term weight loss
The ultra-processed food test
The most underrated way to change your habits
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Fact or Fiction
Does Cardio Support Long-term Weight Loss?
Diet might be the most effective way to lose fat, but research shows that exercise plays a supportive role, too — as long as you don’t fall into the trap of thinking “more is better.”
Although several articles over the last decade have questioned whether exercise is an effective way to lower your weight, a new study found that exercise can support sustainable fat loss.
Scientists analyzed 116 randomized clinical trials on adults who struggle with overweight or obesity. In particular, the studies focused on aerobic exercise (and not resistance training).
The data suggests that as little as 30 minutes of aerobic exercise per week can help support weight loss.
If you do 150 minutes of cardio per week, you can expect to lose about 6 pounds, and 300 minutes results in an average of 9 pounds — but there’s a limit on how much you can exercise and still lose.
Weight loss from cardio appears to max out at about 300 minutes per week. The researchers found that anything beyond that didn’t significantly enhance results.
Prior research also found that exercise makes a small but notable difference. In longer-term studies, those who consistently do aerobic exercise approximately 2 hours per week can expect an average weight loss of about 5 pounds after two years.
The bigger picture is that combining exercise with diet changes produces the best weight loss outcomes.
Even if the numbers don’t appear overwhelming, exercise has many benefits beyond the scale. In fact, weight loss is likely not the best reason to make aerobic exercise and resistance training part of your life. Exercise is also associated with longevity, improved mood, and reduced risk of dementia, depression, heart attack, stroke, and diabetes.
Nutrition
The Ultra-Processed Food Test
What if you could walk through your grocery store and instantly know which foods are helping or hurting your progress?
The New York Times built an interactive tool that might change how you buy groceries.
The tool lets you virtually shop through common foods and reveals which ones are ultra-processed (you might find a few surprises). This isn’t about avoiding processed foods entirely (not all processing is bad), and there is always a time and place for treats. Instead, it’s about awareness.
Ultra-processed foods often trigger overeating, making it harder to manage your diet and stick to your goals.
You can adjust your choices and strike a balance by identifying the foods that might nudge you to overconsume. The hope is that the tool can help you make informed decisions, enjoy your favorite foods in moderation, and build a diet that supports your health.
After all, awareness, not complete restriction, is the key to consistency and results.
The tool isn’t perfect, forcing you to select from options rather than choose everything you would buy. However, it’s still an informative walk through the grocery aisles.
Adam’s Corner
The Most Underrated Way To Change Your Habits
Right now, most people are feeling good about their new resolutions, goals, and habits. But because we know what happens too often, now is the best time to talk about the elephant in the room.
Brands push the “new year, new you” messaging, and yet — every year — the most critical part of creating behavioral change is overlooked.
You’ll hear about goals, habits, and actions. All are great. And that’s because when people talk about change, the emphasis is almost always on what and how.
But if you want this year to be different, don’t forget to focus on the who — as in, “Who do you think you are?”
Behavioral change is rooted in a simple reality: if you want to change what you do, you must start by changing who you think you are. Have you ever wondered why some people are more successful than others?
We tend to blame genetics or discuss competitive advantages such as time or money. While these can make things easier, better outcomes are not dependent on these lifestyle factors. The real key is self-perception and habit formation.
In 2017, researchers from Portugal and the UK worked with more than 2,000 dieters and focused on something that deserved more attention for far too long: How much do your feelings about yourself on a diet impact your success with a diet?
The researchers found that variables like shame, low self-reassurance, feelings of inadequacy, and social comparison were all associated with worse weight loss outcomes and more hunger and frustration.
Hundreds of studies have examined weight gain and loss, obesity, and our reactions to foods. Comparatively, very few have taken the time to understand how your self-perception and comfort with a plan either contribute to your success or are part of the reason you struggle.
But, outside of dieting, we know the importance of self-perception on the ability to embrace new behaviors. And, as research continues to expand in the wellness field, more evidence shows that the mental impact of diets can disrupt positive physical change.
We know that your mind and body are intimately connected, and your mindset is a primary driver of your behaviors. It’s never as simple as wanting to change.
The best plans don’t matter if the psychological strain outweighs the physical benefits. The answer is clear: If you want more physical benefits, start filling your psychological cup.
If you want to accomplish a personal goal, your likelihood of success depends on your willingness to shift your identity.
James Clear mentions in his book Atomic Habits:
“Most people don’t even consider identifying change when they set out to improve. They just think, ‘I want to be skinny (outcome), and if I stick to this diet, then I’ll be skinny (process).’ They set goals and determine actions they should take to achieve those goals without considering the beliefs that drive their actions. They never shift how they look at themselves, and they don’t realize that their old identity can sabotage their new plans.”
Starting with outcomes-based goals (lose 5 pounds) might seem obvious, but that approach is more likely to result in failure. It’s more effective to change what you believe about your identity and the judgments about yourself.
Your self-beliefs create hope, allow you to persevere in tough times, and provide fuel for action.
So this year, instead of just setting goals or building habits, focus on your self-perception and shutting out the negative thoughts and beliefs.
If you can do that, you stand a better chance of achieving your goals. And even if you fall short, the positive changes to your mindset and perspective will dramatically improve your day-to-day experiences, meaning the shift to who will be worth the effort. -AB
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Publisher: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Editors-in-chief: Adam Bornstein and Daniel Ketchell
