SUBMITTED BY

Miguel C. Tuga
I – 15
February 9, 2022

SUBMITTED TO
Professor Enrrico Richard Urgelles
Physical Activities toward Health and Fitness 2

Gateway Assessment 4
Reflective Essay
Mosley, M. (2012). The Truth About Exercise. Retrieved from
https://vimeo.com/51836895?fbclid=IwAR2lF71x8020NxHxzQFbLi1GUGHkdpxn9r5X8ddzKF53t
kqf5FpYgVgR2NU

Examining Exercise through Scientific Lenses

by Miguel Tuga

As a health enthusiast myself, I have my own set of notion—beliefs I recognize as

facts—surrounding exercise. I perceive exercise as one-size-fits-all physical activity. Moreover, I
believe that prolonged exercise is always more beneficial for the body. These ideas of mine are
debunked by a 2012 documentary by Dr. Michael Mosley entitled “The Truth About Exercise”.
Dr. Mosley subjected himself on experiments to unearth the facts and myths concerning
exercise. The following are my main takeaways from the documentary:

Burning calories through exercise requires more energy than expected.

To discern the relationship between exercise and weight loss, Mosley’s calorie burn rate
was contrasted with his consumed calorie. His calorie burn rate was estimated through
measuring the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide inside his body while running. Following
the physical activity, Mosley consumed a muffin, banana and cappuccino. Results show that
Mosley has to run for 55 minutes in an average pace to burn the calories from the light snack he
ingested. Mosley’s demonstration exhibits the strenuous demands of the body to burn the
calories ingested daily.
Exercise lessens the amount of lipids in the body.
One of the paramount benefits of exercising is it lessens the amount of fat in the blood
called lipids. Lipids form subcutaneous fat (also known as belly fat) as well as visceral fat which
is deep down the stomach and around than the pancreas. Belly fat itself is harmless. However,
excessive visceral fat could lead to diabetes.
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT): maximal health benefits in minimal time.
HIIT is a form of aerobic exercise involving short bursts of intense exercise followed by
low intensity rest periods. Despite requiring less time compared to moderate-intensity exercises,
HIIT could be productive for the body. HIIT burns calories in a short period of time and helps
you lose fat. Furthermore, HIIT improves insulin sensitivity which decreases the risk of diabetes.
One must not sit for more than an hour.
Dr. James Levine promotes the maximization of Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis
(NEAT) as substitute for regular exercise. NEAT includes walking upstairs, doing household
chores or any habitual physical activities one does every day.
Exercise feels easier as we do it more consistently.
According to Dr. Emma Ross, our brain inserts a big influence in our physical
performance. Usually, our brain urges us to gradually slow down then stop while working out
even though the muscles are not truly exhausted yet. Exercising consistently increases the
brain’s might and resiliency resulting to the decrease of the body’s vulnerability to fatigue.

Encapsulating the documentary, the audience are encouraged to apply aerobic HIIT as a
regular exercise. Nevertheless, Mosley emphasized that NEAT must be given significance as
well for regular exercises is not enough to fully enhance one’s health and fitness. Finally, yet
importantly, consistency is the key.