Exercising alone won’t lose weight: Study

​New York: Exercising is important in order to burn calories and stay fit. But a recent study says that exercise alone is not always enough to shed weight as our bodies adapt to higher activity levels and do not burn extra calories even if we exercise more.

According to the researchers, it's time to stop assuming that more physical activity always means more calories. There might be a "sweet spot" for physical activity, too little makes unhealthy but too much makes big adjustments in order to adapt.

People who start exercise programmes to lose weight often see a decline in weight loss or even a reversal after a few months. Large comparative studies have also shown that people with very active lifestyles have similar daily energy expenditure to people in more sedentary populations.

To explore this question, researchers carried out a study to measure the daily energy expenditure and activity levels of more than 300 men and women over the course of a week. The research showed a weak but measurable effect of physical activity on daily energy expenditure.

The results suggest it's time to rethink the effect of physical activity on daily energy expenditure. They are also a reminder of the importance of diet and exercise in supporting weight loss goals, the researchers said.