I found the TIME Magazine article"Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin," by John Cloud, informative and useful in shattering some commonly-held myths, which also devotees might implicitly accepts as facts.
Among the essential messages distilled by the author--a committed (self-defined) "gym-rat"--is the notion that "fiery spurts of vigorous exercise could lead to weight gain." How could that be? Simple: After strenuous workouts people get hungry and eat more calories than what they loose; plus they tend to reward themselves with foods they would have avoided if they did not exercise; plus the fatigue accumulated tends to make them more reticent to perform more physical work during the rest of the day.
For me (who, confessedly, would highly benefit by shedding a few pounds) the article was an eye-opener. I found it well-researched (it quoted research spanning decades) and it reminded me of the practical wisdom of Srila Prabhupada's morning walks, as the research quoted by the author extols the virtue of lower intensity, regular physical exercise. It also reminded of one of the twenty-six qualities of a Vaisnava, mita-bhuk, defined in the word-by-word translation of SB 7.12.6 as "eating only exactly what he needs, neither more nor less."
If you are one of many ISKCONites who could improve both mental and physical health by acquiring a slimmer body, , might want to take a look at:
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1914857-1,00.html
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