Fight the Holiday Binge with Exercise

Listen, we get it — no matter what you tell yourself and no matter how hard you try to be good, you are probably going to overeat during the holidays. If you stress over it too much you may wind up eating even more.

So while we have our own set of tips on how best to eat responsibly, even if you still pig out more than usual, a new study points to another way to battle the holiday binge: exercise.

Researchers at the University of Michigan did a very small study involving four active adults who increased their caloric intake by 30% for a week, but continued to exercise continually.

And what they found was that while those who don’t exercise show immediate problems, such as a decrease in insulin sensitivity and rising inflammation levels, these issues were practically nonexistent in those who continued to exercise despite their bingeing.

Of course, there are issues with the study; there were only four people and all of them were in pretty peak physical condition. And, as we all know, overeating and then napping on the couch are pretty hard to separate when it comes to the holidays. But at the very least this study shows evidence that it’s not completely hopeless.

Get that sweat in bright and early and you’ll feel even better if you happen to go back for seconds.

-Shane M.