Bath scientists are looking into how breakfast impacts on exercise regimes - and offering a free training programme for participants to their study.
PhD student Rob Edinburgh of the University of Bath is looking at the effect eating breakfast before and after exercise has on the overall effectiveness of training.
Regular exercise is often recommended as a prevention or treatment for obesity and type 2 diabetes, but people don’t always see the changes they expect and the results can vary a lot.
Because of our busy lives, simply prescribing ‘more exercise’ often just doesn’t work.
Rob, who climbed Africa’s highest mountain earlier this year to raise funds for Against Malaria Foundation, said: “This is an exciting opportunity to get involved with some new research, looking at how to maximise the effectiveness of exercise.”
If you take part in the study you will receive a free tailored exercise training plan and a comprehensive health assessment.
To be eligible for this study you need to be:
- aged 18-49 years old
- not currently exercising regularly
- with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 25
You can calculate your BMI by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in metres squared.
You will need to travel to the University campus to take part.
On your first two visits, we will assess your eligibility, complete a health screen and collect baseline results. The visits will separated by one week during which we will ask you to document your activities and diet.
You will then be randomly assigned into one of three groups:
- a group that exercises (cycling) three times a week before breakfast
- a group that exercises (cycling) three times a week after breakfast
- a group that maintains their normal lifestyle
Those in the exercise groups will complete six weeks of individually tailored, moderate intensity training at the University (3 times a week).
What you'll get for taking part
- a free, individually-tailored, fully-supervised training programme, completed using state-of-the-art sport science equipment
- a comprehensive health assessment, including an assessment of diabetes risk and cholesterol profile as well as a detailed diet analysis
- advice from exercise and nutrition specialists on how to improve your health and wellbeing
More about the study
Dr Javier Gonzalez, the study’s principal supervisor, said: “Many people struggle to lose weight when they start an exercise programme.
“This study will help us to understand what would be suitable to advise people to eat before exercise, in order to improve their chances of losing weight and improving their health.”
Through this study the researchers want to investigate different approaches to exercise, which might maximise health benefits including mitigating risk factors involved in developing type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and dementia.
To take part email firstname.lastname@example.org
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