The Sweet Reality

After Working Out Do You Reward Yourself With An Indulgent Treat? Beware You Might Be Sabotaging Your Health Goals And Then Some!

- Jo Hartley

Is there anything better than boxing your stress away, running in the great outdoors or hiking up a mountain? For some of us, the answer is yes – anything’s preferable to that.

Some of us view exercise as a chore but does this perception also impact our consumption of cake? According to science it might.

A 2014 study, ‘Is it fun or exercise?’ explored the link between exercise perception and subsequent snacking. In the experiment, participants were offered a delicious dessert post-walk. Those who walked for exercise, and not fun, indulged in more cake than those who walked for pleasure.

“It’s quite common for people to exercise to ‘burn off’ what they’ve eaten,” says dietician Natasha Murray. “I’ve heard a lot of water-cooler talk about the time needed in an activity to counteract the kilojoules consumed in a treat.”

Natasha notes that the problem with this is that it creates a perpetual cycle. We’re always trying to outrun our bad food choices. But, when we do physically run, we reward ourselves with food for our efforts.

The higher we perceive our efforts, the bigger the reward. A single serve of chocolate just doesn’t hit the spot, so we scoff the whole bar.