The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett

Moment 143: This Is Why You Can't Lose Weight: Daniel Lieberman

Jan 5, 2024

Daniel Lieberman, a Harvard professor and best-selling author, debunks common myths about exercise and weight loss. He argues that the 8-hour sleep rule is often too simplistic and that mixing up sitting with movement is key. Lieberman also reveals that the standard 150 minutes of weekly exercise isn't enough for effective weight loss; higher levels are crucial. He emphasizes the complexity of diet and exercise interactions, highlighting how motivation in one area can influence the other, and casts a critical eye on the 10,000 steps guideline.

13:26

Episode guests

Daniel Lieberman

AI Summary

Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Interrupted sitting is healthier than non-interrupted sitting, so taking short breaks from sitting is beneficial for overall health.

The notion that humans need exactly 8 hours of sleep per night is not supported by scientific evidence, and the optimal sleep duration generally bottoms out around 7 hours.

Deep dives

Sitting and Inactivity

Contrary to common belief, sitting itself is not necessarily detrimental to health. Animals and hunter-gatherer societies also engage in sitting. The more important factor is how we sit. Interrupted sitting, where you get up frequently, activates various cellular mechanisms and is healthier than non-interrupted sitting. Therefore, simply taking short breaks from sitting, like getting up to make tea or petting your dog, is beneficial for overall health.

The 10,000 Steps Myth and Exercise for Weight Loss

04:07

The Interconnectedness of Diet and Exercise

00:58

Intro

4min

The Myth and Science Behind Exercise and Weight Loss

6min

The Interconnection of Exercise and Diet: A Personal Reflection

2min

In this moment, Harvard University professor and best-selling author, Daniel Lieberman, busts some of the most common myths around exercise. For 2 of the biggest myths, Daniel says that they are too simplistic, saying that you must sleep 8 hours a night or that sitting is terrible for your health. Instead, he says that most people do better with 7 hours of sleep a night, (but this can change depending on age and health) also, sitting isn’t bad for you if you mix it up with regular interruptions. Daniel also helps to clear up the debate that exercise does nothing for weight loss. He says the problem is actually that the recommended 150 minutes per week of exercise is not nearly enough, but higher levels of exercise lead to sustained weight loss and prevents regaining weight after losing it. In reality he claim that most of the truth about diet and exercise is more complex than we are led to believe.

Listen to the full episode here - https://g2ul0.app.link/hIETpSdN5Fb

Watch the Episodes On Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/c/%20TheDiaryOfACEO/videos

You can purchase Dr Lieberman’s newest book, ‘Exercised: The Science of Physical Activity, Rest and Health’, here: https://amzn.to/49udz2v

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices