By Katie Prater and Ling-Su Chiu, Student Pharmacists with Karen Kier, Pharmacist on behalf of the ONU HealthWise team

"Strike a balance" is an idiom used to find middle ground between two parts or two opinions. It is a way to equally proportion conflicts with accepting demands on both sides. The balance of exercise and diet are one of these continuing disagreements as individuals try to lose weight.  

Finding effective ways to lose body fat or just lose weight overall is something that many people have tried to do throughout their life. Obesity is a frequently discussed topic as it is a major contributor to other disease states such as heart disease and diabetes. You will often hear people say you should exercise more and eat better. But what is the balance between the two?

A study published in the British Medical Journal examined the effects of exercise and calorie restrictions on weight loss in overweight and obese adults. Specifically, this study looked at visceral fat loss. Visceral fat is the fatty layer wrapped around body organs deep inside the belly or abdomen. 

The focus of the study was on the effects of a dose-response relationship between exercise and diet. The researchers focused on how much exercise was being done and how many calories were consumed and the impact on weight loss results. Diet and exercise are often the main focus when someone is trying to lose weight because increased exercise and decreased calories results in a negative energy balance. 

A negative energy balance is achieved by burning more energy in the form of calories than we are eating. By reducing calories, the body will typically burn fat first for energy resulting in weight loss especially in those overweight.  It is possible to burn muscle mass, but this is not as likely. The benefit of adding exercise is to tone muscle mass. Since lean muscle requires more energy to maintain function, this can contribute to weight loss.  

From this study, researchers confirmed both calorie restrictions and exercise can have an impact on fat loss. When diving deeper into the numbers, it was determined that exercise did show a greater impact on fat loss compared to diet. Regarding waist circumference (a reflection of visceral fat in the abdomen), there was a dose-dependent effect for both exercise and diet. Based on these findings, the researchers concluded exercise may be more beneficial than calorie restrictions for fat loss in overweight adults. 

Sometimes it is hard to strike a balance between exercise and diet due to different influencing factors.  It can be harder to do significant aerobic exercises as we get older.  As we age, are there ways to strike a balance including exercise with weight loss.  

Tai chi is a form of exercise focusing on the mind and body. Tai chi includes a series of gentle exercises and stretches with controlled breathing in which each movement flows from one to the next. In addition to calming the mind, it helps to improve balance, flexibility, and muscle strength. 

A study published in Annals of Internal Medicine compared the effects of tai chi to conventional exercise (such as brisk walking, arm curls, squats) in adults aged 50 years and older.  The study found adults who participated in 3 hours per week of tai chi showed a reduction in waist size and body weight that was slightly more improved than those in the conventional exercise group.  

After three months, participants in the tai chi group showed on average a 1.8 cm (3/4 inch) reduction in waist size compared to a 1.3 cm (1/2 inch) reduction from the conventional exercise group. At the end of the study, tai chi showed a beneficial effect on cholesterol levels not seen with the conventional exercise group.

Tai chi is an alternative to traditional exercise and can help adults manage their weight.  Due to tai chi’s gentle and low-impact nature, it can be beneficial in helping older adults with physical limitations achieve a healthier lifestyle.  Free instructional videos for beginners can be found on YouTube, which allows you to practice tai chi on your own schedule.  

Additional studies published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health and the Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research confirmed similar results with the use of tai chi in older adults. The first study found a significant improvement in scores on the Senior Fitness Test for those who practice tai chi.  The study confirmed a positive impact of tai chi on the functional capacity of seniors.  The second study evaluated the benefits of tai in 10 different studies with 1170 participants.  The study reported a significant improvement in overall quality of life and physical quality of life in the older population practicing tai chi.  

If you are considering losing weight, strike a balance between diet and exercise. Consider the proven benefits of tai chi for the exercise component.  

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