Eating 6 Small Meals A Day Or 3 Big Ones?

Working Out For 10 Minutes Or 10 Hours?

The Real Truth May Shock You!

 

 

Have you ever watched the television show Myth Busters? Just in case you haven’t, here’s the gist of the show…
Two scientists take common myths and try to re-create them to see if they are real, fake or plausible.  For example, one show tested whether or not a well-trained Ninja (yeah – the martial arts Ninja!) could catch an arrow shot at him by an enemy. They found a well-trained Ninja and actually shot arrows at him! The result?

One Dead Ninja!

Well, the Ninja didn’t actually die because they used special arrows with protective tips. But, if the arrows had been real, the Ninja would have been TOAST.

Anyway, that’s what science is all about – attempting to separate fact from fiction, - and this can be very hard to do sometimes.
Now, we’d like to do a little “myth busting” of our own. In fact, we are going to bust TWO myths.

Here’s the first: I’m sure you have heard eating many, small meals throughout the day is better than eating fewer large ones. It is pretty well-established… and it makes sense. If you eat a bunch of small meals, your metabolism will increase and you will lose weight.
Well, a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition just put that theory to the test. In the study, one group ate 6 small meals each day and another group ate 3 larger meals.

According to the study, both groups lost significant and equivalent amounts of weight. There was no difference between them in fat loss, appetite control or measurements of the hormones that signal hunger and satiety.

One thing is important to note: Both groups ate the same number of calories. The only difference was the number of meals the calories were split across – 3 versus 6. These researchers believe it’s the number of calories per day eaten and NOT the way they are broken up that determines weight loss. Would 8 or 12 very small meals (or snacks) make a difference? Maybe… however, that question was not answered in this particular study.

And here’s the second myth: It is a commonly held belief … as far as exercise is concerned… more is better. In other words, to get into good physical and cardiovascular shape – you must train for a long time.  After all… I’m sure you’ve seen Rocky… and he spent all day busting his butt!  Well, a new study shows this may not be the case.   In this study, published in the Journal of Physiology, researchers believe their findings “blow away” the notion that you must exercise for long periods of time.

Here is why: In the study, participants rode an exercise bike for just 60 seconds, but they peddled hard enough to get close to their maximum heart rate. Then, they would rest for 60 seconds, and then peddle for 60 seconds again. This process was repeated for 10 minutes.

Tests afterwards showed their muscles had improved just as much as if they had been involved in endurance training. This type of training is known as “high intensity interval training” or HIT. The research did not give the reason why HIT was so effective, but it appeared to “stimulate many of the same cellular pathways” as traditional training regimes. The researchers also mentioned time is no longer an excuse for not exercising!!!

 

And don’t forget, if you ever have any questions or concerns about your health talk to us. Contact us with your questions. We’re here to help and don’t enjoy anything more than participating in your lifelong good health. 512.263.0040