I wonder whether the metabolic rate was higher before antibiotics, vaccines and parasitology because people were more likely to carry a load of “passengers” in and on their bodies. Chronic, low-level infections or infestations would make the body run hotter, no?
That's why softer and shorter exercise like qi gong is preferred.
I do 7 minutes a day, sometimes with wrist and leg weights. I feel stronger and my cognition has improved much faster than when I did aerobics or extended weights.
Most of the muscle building and brain benefits come from minutes a day without burning up calories. Now I see why.
BTW, the reason why mild exercise helps memory and cognition is because the cerebellum is what stores memory and later translates it to long term storage. It operates on physical movement.
All my exercise is about shuttling blood glucose into muscles & therefore lowering insulin. Walking after I eat anything has made a HUGE IMPACT. Anything else, resistance or weights or rebounding on the mini trampoline, are strictly for toning musculature, moving lymph, and increasing bone density.
I beg to disagree with you on this Jason. Although I understand where you are coming from and your logic may apply to many however I hate when somebody says - exercise don't make you lose weight. The hell it does. Bring anybody under me..and I will show you how they lose weight. Trained over 500 athletes across the age groups...I have never failed at this.
Let me take them one by one:
1) Basal metabolic rate has been falling steadily since the Industrial Age. The reasons why this has occurred are unknown, but are not from lack of willpower or lack of exercise.
This doesn’t logically lead to the conclusion that exercise is ineffective for weight loss. A declining BMR may contribute to easier weight gain in the modern environment, but it actually makes well-designed exercise more valuable, particularly modalities that preserve or increase muscle mass and mitochondrial efficiency, which help counteract the drop.
2) Calories burned from exercise have been increasing since the 1980s and therefore lack of exercise is likely a small or non-existent contributor to the obesity epidemic.
This assumes that everyone gaining weight is exercising regularly, which is clearly not the case. Population level averages can mislead. While some groups have increased exercise, a large proportion of people remain predominantly sedentary or engage in very low-quality movement. Luxury of cars and home deliveries have made it worse. Trends at the population level do not erase the clear benefits seen in individuals who adopt consistent training.
3) Moderate to intense exercise decreases metabolic rate so total energy expenditure stays the same and negates much of the benefits of weight loss. Mild exercise just doesn’t burn many calories.
This compensation (the constrained model) does occur, especially when the same stimulus is repeated without progression, variation, or adequate recovery. However, exercise is not a monolithic activity, it requires expertise in progression, intensity, volume, exercise selection, recovery, and individualization. When applied skillfully, as seen in athletes across sports who maintain low body-fat percentages year after year, it delivers meaningful results. In my own performance camps, targeted strength, speed, structural mechanics, and fascia work consistently produce improvements in body composition alongside measurable gains in speed, endurance, and accuracy.
4) Increasing exercise increases hunger, which leads to eating more and negates much of the benefits for weight loss.
Not necessarily. This may apply more to sedentary individuals beginning an exercise program. In contrast, well-designed training often suppresses appetite in the short term and improves long-term appetite regulation through better insulin sensitivity and hormonal balance. The relationship between exercise and hunger is far more nuanced than simply - exercise more, eat more, especially when combined with proper nutrition timing and recovery practices.
This is such an important message - 90% of the hit comes from what goes in, not how far you run. That’s not the same as blaming someone for eating - but it’s the IN part that needs addressing.
GLP-1s do a fantastic job of counterbalancing faulty hunger cues and making this part achievable for many.
I agree wholeheartedly from my own experience. In my sixties, I have lost 15% body weight an eliminated diabetes via low-carb and fasting. I do a bit of weight-lifting and walking, but otherwise far less exercise than ever in my life.
I wonder whether the metabolic rate was higher before antibiotics, vaccines and parasitology because people were more likely to carry a load of “passengers” in and on their bodies. Chronic, low-level infections or infestations would make the body run hotter, no?
That's why softer and shorter exercise like qi gong is preferred.
I do 7 minutes a day, sometimes with wrist and leg weights. I feel stronger and my cognition has improved much faster than when I did aerobics or extended weights.
Most of the muscle building and brain benefits come from minutes a day without burning up calories. Now I see why.
BTW, the reason why mild exercise helps memory and cognition is because the cerebellum is what stores memory and later translates it to long term storage. It operates on physical movement.
All my exercise is about shuttling blood glucose into muscles & therefore lowering insulin. Walking after I eat anything has made a HUGE IMPACT. Anything else, resistance or weights or rebounding on the mini trampoline, are strictly for toning musculature, moving lymph, and increasing bone density.
I beg to disagree with you on this Jason. Although I understand where you are coming from and your logic may apply to many however I hate when somebody says - exercise don't make you lose weight. The hell it does. Bring anybody under me..and I will show you how they lose weight. Trained over 500 athletes across the age groups...I have never failed at this.
Let me take them one by one:
1) Basal metabolic rate has been falling steadily since the Industrial Age. The reasons why this has occurred are unknown, but are not from lack of willpower or lack of exercise.
This doesn’t logically lead to the conclusion that exercise is ineffective for weight loss. A declining BMR may contribute to easier weight gain in the modern environment, but it actually makes well-designed exercise more valuable, particularly modalities that preserve or increase muscle mass and mitochondrial efficiency, which help counteract the drop.
2) Calories burned from exercise have been increasing since the 1980s and therefore lack of exercise is likely a small or non-existent contributor to the obesity epidemic.
This assumes that everyone gaining weight is exercising regularly, which is clearly not the case. Population level averages can mislead. While some groups have increased exercise, a large proportion of people remain predominantly sedentary or engage in very low-quality movement. Luxury of cars and home deliveries have made it worse. Trends at the population level do not erase the clear benefits seen in individuals who adopt consistent training.
3) Moderate to intense exercise decreases metabolic rate so total energy expenditure stays the same and negates much of the benefits of weight loss. Mild exercise just doesn’t burn many calories.
This compensation (the constrained model) does occur, especially when the same stimulus is repeated without progression, variation, or adequate recovery. However, exercise is not a monolithic activity, it requires expertise in progression, intensity, volume, exercise selection, recovery, and individualization. When applied skillfully, as seen in athletes across sports who maintain low body-fat percentages year after year, it delivers meaningful results. In my own performance camps, targeted strength, speed, structural mechanics, and fascia work consistently produce improvements in body composition alongside measurable gains in speed, endurance, and accuracy.
4) Increasing exercise increases hunger, which leads to eating more and negates much of the benefits for weight loss.
Not necessarily. This may apply more to sedentary individuals beginning an exercise program. In contrast, well-designed training often suppresses appetite in the short term and improves long-term appetite regulation through better insulin sensitivity and hormonal balance. The relationship between exercise and hunger is far more nuanced than simply - exercise more, eat more, especially when combined with proper nutrition timing and recovery practices.
“I cant lose weight because of my knees doctor”
This is such an important message - 90% of the hit comes from what goes in, not how far you run. That’s not the same as blaming someone for eating - but it’s the IN part that needs addressing.
GLP-1s do a fantastic job of counterbalancing faulty hunger cues and making this part achievable for many.
I agree wholeheartedly from my own experience. In my sixties, I have lost 15% body weight an eliminated diabetes via low-carb and fasting. I do a bit of weight-lifting and walking, but otherwise far less exercise than ever in my life.