Why some workouts curb cravings, plus simple wins you can use this week

Sean Meadows
Sep 29
3 min read

Updated: Oct 3

A plain-English look at exercise and appetite, strength for brain health, green-space training, and what new watch features actually mean.

Reading time: 5–6 minutes

1 Big Thing: Why hard workouts can blunt cravings

New research maps how the exercise-made molecule Lac-Phe quiets hunger-related neurons in the brain. The mechanistic paper is in Nature Metabolism (see the PubMed record), and the team’s summary is here from Baylor College of Medicine. This helps explain why some people feel less hungry after higher-intensity efforts. In practice, a brief interval finisher at the end of a session can make appetite easier to manage later in the day.

How to try it this week Pick one training day. After your main session, do 8 to 10 rounds of 30 seconds hard and 60 seconds easy on a bike, rower, or run. Rehydrate, then have a protein-forward meal within 60 to 90 minutes.

Strength training that supports brain and body

A 12-week hybrid resistance program in older adults with cognitive frailty improved global cognition and physical function compared with a standard routine. The randomized trial is open access in BMC Geriatrics here: Hybrid resistance training for cognitive frailty. The approach was simple and repeatable. Three sessions per week built from pushes, pulls, squats, and hinges delivered meaningful benefits.

A simple structure Think sit-to-stand or goblet squats, hip hinges or RDLs, an incline push-up or press, and a row with bands or cables. Stay smooth, leave two reps in the tank, and keep the habit. Click here to try my Brain & Body Strength Circuit built from the exact movement patterns highlighted in this article.

Smart Strength Session

Why one green-space session beats the treadmill for mood

When people do the same effort outdoors in nature, they report better mood, show calmer stress markers, and recover heart rate faster than matched indoor or urban sessions. Summary from the University of Copenhagen: Exercising in nature is superior to the city or gym. You do not need a long hike. A 30 to 60 minute walk or easy jog on a tree-lined path can be enough.

What to change Trade one indoor workout for a park loop this week. Keep your phone in your pocket and look far ahead as you move. The point is attention, air, and a little sunlight.

Wearables, decoded without the hype

Apple Watch Series 11 adds trend-based notifications that may flag possible hypertension and a sleep score. Treat these as nudges, not diagnoses. Official overview: Apple Newsroom, Series 11 health features. Coverage of the hypertension feature’s clearance is here: The Verge report. If you see repeated high-BP alerts, confirm with a cuff and talk to your clinician. Use the sleep score to adjust your wind-down time, caffeine cutoff, and evening screen habits.

Make the data useful Pick one lever per week. If sleep is low, bring your caffeine cutoff two hours earlier. If stress is high, schedule a ten-minute walk outside after lunch.

Diet signal to bookmark

A recent analysis in PLOS Medicine links plant-forward eating patterns to lower type 2 diabetes risk, with a sustainability benefit as a bonus. Read the paper here: Plant-forward diet and diabetes risk. Build more meals around beans or lentils, whole grains, leafy greens, berries, and nuts. You do not need to be perfect. Aim for one plant-heavy plate per day.

What I am watching next

Oral GLP-1 medicines continue to progress in late-stage studies. The phase 3 results for Lilly’s orforglipron are in NEJM here: NEJM orforglipron trial, with the company’s summary here: Lilly release.

Companies are also testing pairings that try to support fat loss while preserving lean mass. Some combinations look promising, others have been paused, for example Lilly’s bimagrumab combo update covered by Reuters: Lilly halts one bimagrumab combo trial.

On the consumer side, the FDA has proposed cleaning up an old synthetic dye that is no longer in use: FDA Orange B proposal and the Federal Register notice.

Try this week in under ten minutes

Move one cardio session to a tree-lined path. Do three short strength sessions with the four movements listed above. If your watch flags possible high blood pressure more than once, book a cuff reading with your clinician.