Pumpkin Chai Oats & DYKT #4

Guess what I finally found in the state of North Carolina?

PUMPKIN!!!!

Pumpkin is my all time favorite oatmeal add in. This morning I celebrated the return of this wonderful squash with Pumpkin Chai Oats.

My oat combo, plus cottage cheese, pumpkin, pecans, and Chai tea concentrate. And some extra nutmeg and cinnamon for good measure 😉

How ‘bout a little oats with those toppings?! Guess I got a little over excited about that pumpkin.

Along with some coffee with So Delicious Coconut Milk Creamer.

I was a little disappointed it didn’t make my coffee taste like coconut. In case you haven’t picked up on it, I’m a little obsessed with coconut at the moment. I guess it’s not really supposed to taste like coconut though…

And now it’s time for……

DYKT #4!

Did you know….

Exercise doesn’t automatically equal weight loss.

Maybe that horrible Time magazine article had it right. Like many others, I was outraged when the cover of Time said exercise didn’t play a role in weight loss. My inbox was flooded with questions and statements from friends and family. Time is a reputable magazine, surely they wouldn’t splay this ludicrous information all over for the world to see. I decided to give it the article a chance, and after I got over my moment of anger, I actually read the article (what a concept, huh?). I was very happy to see they do support exercise as a means of weight management– that is, it helps keep weight off after it’s been lost. Yes yes yes! It also made me look into the whole concept of how much exercise actually helps you decrease your weight. …And I hated to admit it, but they were kind of on to something.

Aerobic exercise, i.e. cardio, doesn’t contribute to weight loss as much as you’d think. Think about our 24 hours in a day concept from the NFL players. You went to the gym and chugged along on the elliptical for an hour. Hooray! You burned extra calories! But then what? Do you go home and watch tv? Take a nap? Cook a huge meal? Sometimes exercise makes you tired, so you’re less active during the rest of the day. Sometimes it makes you hungry, so you eat more. And sometimes you know you’ve exercised, so you say it’s ok to have the extra slice of pizza. There are SO many factors involved, it’s tough to isolate just one, and I think each individual is a little different. So no, exercise doesn’t absolutely equal weight loss. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t exercise!!! It’s good for your heart, your lungs, your mind!

The take away: realize exercise in itself won’t always equal weight loss. Keep those other factors in mind, and be aware of ALL of your behaviors, not just an isolated one such as exercise. (I still don’t believe it means exercise can’t be pivotal in weight loss; it sure can!)

But what about strength training & weight loss? Check back next week for that one 🙂

And check out my updated Races page!