So, you’re on vacation. Say, a cruise, or a resort. On the one hand, you’re a healthy guy—you’re hitting the gym and eating right. On the other hand, what the hell’s the point of a vacation if you aren’t going to visit a steakhouse, a brewery, and the buffet table? What’s a guy to do?
A new study published in the Journal of Physiology can shed some light on the subject: it’s better to overeat and mitigate the effects with exercise rather than overeat just a little and not exercise at all. Here’s how they got there. Twenty-six healthy young men had to reduce their physical activity over a week. Half did nothing, and the other half did forty-five minutes on the treadmill (remember, this was a reduction for them). The inactive group increased their caloric intake by fifty per cent, and the active group did the same—but by seventy-five per cent.
After the week was up, it was found that the inactive group had an unhealthy decline in their blood sugar control and a negative change in the activation of genes in their fat cells necessary to maintain a healthy metabolism. On the other hand, the active group had maintained stable blood sugar and had no negative change, despite the fact that they ate more.
So, don’t skip that workout while you’re on vacation—and you won’t have to skip the buffet table.
