Food is amazing—hands down. As a society, food has become the enemy, where the less you eat, the skinnier and happier you will be. Well, there is change on the horizon, folks!
If you hate dieting and restricting yourself of delicious foods, run—run like the wind, because the more you run, the easier it may be to keep a slim waistline, according to research from the American College of Sports Medicine.
“It’s a caloric balance thing—a simple equation of calories in, versus calories out. Plus, vigorous exercise in particular, significantly increases the body’s ability to oxidize fat,” Dr. Christopher B. Cooper, health and fitness director of the American College of Sports Medicine, said.
Paul Williams, Ph.D., a researcher with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory conducted a study in which he categorized 106, 736 runners by the distance they run each day: fewer than 1.24 miles, 1.24-2.5, 2.5-3.7, 3.7-4.96 and more than five miles, according to an article on the American College of Sports Medicine’s Web site.
The runners who ran less than 1.24 miles experienced a significant increase in body mass index and waist circumference in association with higher meat intake and lower fruit intake, according to the site.
The most active group, those who ran more than five miles, the effects of diet on body mass index and waist circumference decreased by 50 percent or more, according to the site.
On the plus side, readers don’t have to commit to running over five miles a day to reduce their BMI or waist circumference! The study shows that intermediate runners, or those who run between two and four miles, reduce the effects of diet on body weight, but not as significantly as those who run over five miles a day, according to site.
“Generally, body mass index and waist circumference increase as a person eats more meat and less fruit. My analysis indicates that this relationship weakens as runners increase their daily mileage. It appears that the more miles a person logs each week, the less affected they are by variances in their diet,” Williams said.
Williams also suggests that this could be due to the enhanced fat burn that comes with exercise, according to the article. Plus, runners who exercise more may be better at balancing their diet.
If you just hate running, don’t fret! According to the site, Williams said that there is other data that suggests this benefit may also apply to walking.
So girls, lace up those running or walking shoes, grab a pal, and get to it! The more you move, the less stress you’ll put on yourself for having a bowl of ice cream, and the less guilt you’ll feel for buying that discounted Valentine’s Day chocolate, (I’m not the only one, right?)