Losing weight will be much easier if you actually enjoy the exercise that you’re doing.
According to NPR, researchers at the Cornell Food and Brand Lab have discovered that looking at exercise as work can lead to an unhealthy eating habit that will seriously sabotage your efforts to lose weight. If you view exercise as a chore, you’re more likely to mindlessly snack on calorie-laden sweet treats.
Marketing professor Brian Wansink and his fellow researchers discovered this connection with a fascinating experiment. They used people attending a consumer camp at Cornell as human guinea pigs by dividing them into two different groups and having guides lead them on two different hikes. One group was told that they were going on a scenic hike, and the other group had their hike framed as a workout. Both groups moved at the same pace.
The groups were then observed while they ate lunch, and researchers found that members of the group who had their hike framed as exercise ate 35 percent more pudding than members of the group who had their hike framed as an opportunity to enjoy being outdoors surrounded by beautiful scenery.
The hikers who ate more pudding were rewarding themselves for completing a workout, counteracting the exercise that they just did. This little experiment is evidence that it’s very important to find a way to be active that doesn’t feel like work.
To make sure that you don’t make losing weight tougher than it needs to be, you could try playing games like beach volleyball or basketball, or you could invest in fun fitness equipment like a hula hoop or mini trampoline. Arrange a set time to work out with a friend so that you can chat while you walk or run to make the exercise feel like less of a chore, or catch up on one of your favorite TV shows while you work out.
Another similar Cornell study found that walkers who listened to music ate less M&Ms than those who didn’t, so you might want to get busy creating an upbeat playlist to listen to while you exercise. You could also try listening to an audio book or using a workout game app like Zombies, Run! Just keep trying to find something active that you enjoy, and you’ll be less likely to sabotage your diet by snacking on sweets.