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For weight loss hopefuls and exercise buffs out there, there is a need to re-examine your physical regimen which might include spending long hours in the gym more than what your body needs.

Surprisingly, a recently published study suggests that our bodies reach a certain level when burning calories just simply stops.

"It's a surprise. We're taught that there's a simple one-to-one relationship between activity levels [exercise] and energy expenditure [burning calories], that the more active you are, the more calories your body burns every day," remarked senior lead author Herman Pontzer of the City University of New York as quoted saying by CBC News.

Featured in the Current Biology, the study revealed that weight loss-related exercises are only good at the start-that's when non-exercisers can feel the full benefits of sustained physical activities on their weight loss efforts.

While it is true that physical activity does result in energy expenditure, the study's findings yielded no data to significantly prove that more exercise leads to more energy expended.

A number of experts seem to agree with the research findings underscoring the need to re-think our understanding of exercise away from a purely weight loss-oriented perception.

"We know exercising in the right way has many health benefits but weight loss isn't one of them. We need to disassociate obesity with exercise altogether. If we're going to combat obesity, it's going to happen purely from changing the food environment," said Dr Asseem Malhotra, a cardiologist adviser to the National Obesity Forum as mentioned in a report by The Guardian.