DIAL UP YOUR ACTIVITY

Some experts believe that we selfregulate to keep our activity levels stable. A new study says otherwise

Are activity levels predetermined? Some experts believe so, claiming increases in ● exercise are countered by an unwitting reduction in how much we move the rest of the time. The so-called ‘activityst at’ would make our efforts to increase our physicalactivity levels a losing battle, so Australian researchers tested the theory. They took 129 non-exercisers and split them into a 150-minutes-per week exercise group, a 300-minutes per week group and a no-exercise group. They monitored 24-hour activity levels and energy expenditure of the three groups for six weeks. The result? No evidence of compensatory loafing among the exercisers. Both these groups were far more active – and burned more calories – than the no-exercise group.