Here is the link: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1914857-1,00.html
I thought the article was clear and well-written. I also found the claims well supported by the cited studies (many from psychology). One point was that exercise can have positive effects (better health, better cognitive functioning) but it is not likely to make a big difference in weight loss. Another point was that it is regular low level activity (walking, mowing, climbing stairs, etc.) is about as good (or better) than vigorous gym exercise. I think the article was mainly pointing out the limitations of the "you must exercise a lot to lose weight" and the "you must suffer a lot in the gym" mantras, not saying that people should not engage in physical activity. Marie PS. I'm guessing the author did not literally mean that the fat become muscle but rather than with aerobic activity fat cells shrink and you get more muscle. Then he cites a study that shows that this is not as advantageous as people might think. **************************************************** Marie Helweg-Larsen, Ph.D. Department Chair and Associate Professor of Psychology Kaufman 168, Dickinson College Carlisle, PA 17013, office (717) 245-1562, fax (717) 245-1971 http://www.dickinson.edu/departments/psych/helwegm **************************************************** From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Sunday, August 09, 2009 4:23 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: [tips] Time magazine cover story 8/17 Hi, I was wondering if any fitness enthusiast or health psych tipsters might have had the same reaction to the new Time Magazine cover story that I did (I was motivated to write a letter, which is unlikely to be published but I thought I'd give it a go). I was irritated by it for two reasons: 1) Scientific inaccuracy - the author mentions "converting fat into muscle". Isn't this just plain wrong? You can shrink your fat cells and build up your muscle cells but you can't "convert fat into muscle". The author (J. Cloud) doesn't seem to have any credentials (but he does selectively quote experts on weight and fitness.) This is an easy one and I wonder how he missed it. 2) A general tone of "why bother?" - Yes, the author mentions several times that exercise is crucial for good health BUT intersperses a lot of discouraging material - "if you exercise hard you'll just overeat to make it up later" OR "you'll just be lazier later." No, you don't have to do either of those things. It's like an excuse making festival... I think the article is a great example of oversimplifying complex behaviors and how that can be misleading or destructive. Any credible fitness program includes encouragement to exercise and modify nutrition. I think this author is equating "exercise won't help you" with lack of discipline which of course IS a problem. I can see this article being used by countless people as one more excuse not to try to change at all. Reactions? I am interested to see if I am off the mark here. Nancy Melucci Long Beach City College Long Beach CA --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected]) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected])
