Regular Exercise increases motivation to maintain positive dietary changes.

(Castro et al., 2020)

All Strength Training, Endurance, Combination of Strength & Endurance, Unsupervised training similarly increased motivation towards maintaining positive dietary changes.

I have seen this many times with clients and myself; eating well and making better food choices when you train & diet goes out of the window when you take a break or stop training.

Exercise help build muscles, increases energy expenditure (burn calories) and makes it easier to lose weight and maintain it long-term. However, the psychological effect of making it easier to maintain positive dietary changes is a huge benefit that we don’t usually talk about.

Reference:

Castro, E.A.; Carraça, E.V.; Cupeiro, R.; López-Plaza, B.; Teixeira, P.J.; González-Lamuño, D.; Peinado, A.B., on behalf of the PRONAF Study Group. The Effects of the Type of Exercise and Physical Activity on

Eating Behavior and Body Composition in Overweight and Obese Subjects. Nutrients 2020, 12, 557.