Combine Exercise, Nutrition In Your Total Fitness Program

We’re into our fourth week of January, and some of those New Year’s resolutions appear to be faltering.

To top it off, food will be featured at the parties planned for this weekend’s football extravaganza. Exercise will likely be left behind.

In a recent article in the Journal of The American Dietetic Association, Chester Zelasko looked at three commonly held ideas about exercise and weight loss:

Exercise consumes a lot of energy.

“Fat-burning” exercise is the most effective way to consume fat as a fuel.

Exercise will stimulate energy expenditure for hours after the activity is completed.

Each of these is true. There are, however, some qualifications.

Exercise does consume lots of energy - if it’s long enough and intense enough. Consistently investing time in moderate exercise for longer periods will use more energy.

The intensity of the exercise determines the percentage of fat and total calories used. At the higher end of moderate exercise, you use more total energy and fat energy than with lower intensity exercise. If you are basically sedentary, it may be a while before you can participate in higher intensity exercises.

Lastly, there is the question of burning more calories after exercise. Athletes participating in prolonged, exhaustive exercise have an increased metabolic rate for more than 24 hours afterward.

But for most of us, that kind of exercise is out of reach. Light and moderate exercise are unlikely to have any real effect on energy balance or weight loss in the long run.

This doesn’t mean that exercise isn’t important, because it most definitely is. Combine moderately intense, longer-duration exercise with a balanced nutrition program if you are trying to lose weight.

And remember, exercise has many other health benefits all to itself.

French Glazed Fish

From “Quick & Healthy Recipes And Ideas” by Brenda J. Ponichtera (ScaleDown).

1 pound fish fillets (such as snapper or sole)

1/4 cup low-calorie French dressing

2 tablespoons low-sugar apricot jam

1 tablespoon minced dried onion

2 tablespoons water

Arrange fish in a 9- by 13-inch baking pan that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Follow directions for microwave or conventional oven below.

Conventional Oven: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bake, uncovered, for 4-5 minutes per half-inch thickness of fish. Drain any liquid. Combine remaining ingredients and spoon over fish. Return to oven for 2 minutes to heat sauce.

Microwave Method: Cover with plastic wrap, venting one corner. Cook on high for 4-6 minutes, depending on thickness of fish. Rotate turn halfway through cooking time. Drain any liquid. Mix remaining ingredients and spoon over fish. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until sauce is heated.

Yield: 4 servings.

, DataTimes MEMO: The goal of Five and Fifteen is to find recipes where you can do the shopping in five minutes and the cooking in 15. Merri Lou Dobler, a registered dietitian and Spokane resident, welcomes ideas from readers. Write to Five and Fifteen, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210.

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