It’s safe to say that there is no magic pill for instant weight loss. To lose weight in a healthy way is to have a change of lifestyle: eating better, plenty of exercise, and generally living a more health-oriented lifestyle.

According to a study by School of Medicine Professors at Loyola University Chicago, researchers found that exercise really wasn’t associated with weight loss. While the preponderance of research has found that physical activity is not effective for weight control, what surprises us was a sedentary lifestyle may not be the key to gaining weight. The study result shows respondents who met physical activity guidelines largely put on weight than those who didn’t move at all.

Vox also published a short clip that shows the truth of our daily calorie burn. It’s true that exercise burns calories, but physical activity only accounts for 10% to 30% of our daily burn. Turns out that a huge chunk of the calories we burn comes down to our basal metabolic rate which refers to the amount of calories your body uses to perform daily functions. Put simply, you burn most of your daily calories with little to no conscious effort.

Too many people overstate the importance of the gym while underrating the importance of a healthy diet. The aim of this article is to remind everyone that diet plays a much bigger role than exercise. This isn’t to say that exercise is unimportant. It’s great to burn off 10 to 30 percent of extra calories but we have 100% control of our food intake. Great abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym. As cliche as it sounds, it’s true.

Read also: 8 Inspiring Fit Ladies That Will Actually Inspire You to Work Out

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