Forget Exercise: Who cares if you are healthy as long as you are thin.
“They” are talking again and this time, rather than telling us we need to exercise more, they are telling us we are wasting our time.
Oh joy.
Yesterday, the Guardian posted this article, Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin which was basically rehash of Time’s article with the same title that was published over a year ago. You can find the link and read my thoughts on Time’s article here.
As I said last year, I agree with the article on one level. It’s hard, if not impossible, to out train a poor diet. Unless you are Michael Phelps. Remember the 12,00 calories a day? For the rest of us mortals,we aren’t going to lose any fat eating the equivalent of 24 Big Macs a day even if we hit the gym daily.
But…
There is more to exercise than losing weight.
(Ground breaking, I know.)
Why are they posting headlines like this when rates of obesity, disease, and depression are at an all time high? How about “Exercise Alone Won’t Make You Thin If You Eat Like Crap” or “Forget Exercise: Who cares if you are healthy as long as you are thin“.
My concern? Will the people who need to exercise not just to lose weight but to improve circulation, reduce the risk of heart disease, manage diabetes, increase bone density, ect, ect., ect., get past the headline? How many are going to make it to the last part of the article where it talks about the importance of exercise and nutrition. My guess is the majority people who read the entire article are going to be people like me. People who get ticked off by the headline because we just walked in from an all out sweat session at the gym and no one is going to tell me I’m wasting my time. You hear that, “they”, whoever you are. Maybe I’m wrong. I hope so.
Here is a list of why I exercise and staying “thin” is only part of it. A small part.
– Fights “the blues”, ie, feelings of depression.
– I enjoy feeling strong.
– I can run and play with my kids without getting winded.
– I can fall down and not worry I’m going to snap in half.
– My likely hood of disease is reduced.
– It gives me mental clarity.
– Increases my energy.
– Reduces my PMS symptoms.
– I sleep better at night.
– Last but not least it (specifically weight training) helps me to sculpt my body.
(The word “sculpt” in regards to exercise always sounds so cheesy to me.)
What about you? Why do you exercise? Body image? Health? Did you ever lose weight just by exercising without any change in your diet? What are your thoughts on the article?
Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn
This is my (almost) sane quest for insane health. Let's 
I haven’t read this article, but I read the Times article and was up pacing in my house muttering under my breath, cursing the author. This kind of thing gets me so mad. Don’t even get me started.
Every one you said (especially the mood enhancer/mind clarity)…but mostly, to fend off the cancer that seems to kill everyone off in my family. And to strengthen my heart.
I’d like to drop my extra weight I have built up over the last ten years, but that’s not the reason I work out. Also, I don’t wan to be THIN. I want to be healthy. Big difference to me.
I read the times artcile and agree with it. I always lose more weight when I cut out exercise and just focus on diet.
But I love what you said–exercise isnt always about weight loss.
I love feeling strong, looking good and I love knowing that I’m fit.
It doesnt provide stress relief for me though
It is funny that you posted this, because Iw as just reading some of the stuff Jack Lalanne talks about and he is all about exercise. And he explains why that is so important. He says Exercise is king and nutrition is queen and together you have a kingdom. He was way before his time and is super healthy at 91.
I love being strong. It makes me feel like I can do anything (not that I actually can). And you get the added bonus of looking better too. My diet is not the best, but lifting helps me at least maintain where I’m at and if (and that’s a big IF) I pay attention to my diet, I can drop fat fairly easily.
So many people are concerned with being thin, they don’t realize that many thin people have health problems. I know a thin person who was diagnosed with osteoporosis at age 25 and was told never to run or she would risk stress fractures to her femurs. It’s about being healthy, not about being thin.
I love your perspective on this!! I totally 100% agree. If you are exercising SOLELY to lose weight you will be disappointed. It’s not the panacea we’ve been led to believe. However, exercise- like you pointed out – is good for sooooo many things beyond your weight. When I list my top reasons for exercising, my weight doesn’t even make the top 5 (yeah, ok, it’s number 6.)
Most of our reason for working out are the same. Except I’ll have to add “I can fall down and not worry I’m going to snap in half” to my list. I like the imagery that comes to mind.
I’m a compulsive eater and binge eater. I lose and gain the same 5-8 pounds every month. (Yes, I have issues). That said, I don’t think I’m waisting any time exercising. It boosts my mood, builds muscles and more like your great list said. I’m waisting my time when I binge (except I’ve gone 7 whole days without a binge – yay me).
That’s too bad articles like that are posted.
I lived most of my life by a rule – I am skinny why do I need exercise. A few years and twenty extra pounds later, I started to work out. Why? To lose weight, to build stamina that I lacked, to be able to do a 5-hour hike on the Great Wall and don’t die on it, to keep my heart strong and healthy., to be able to eat the most decadent dessert ever and not feel guilty.
Good call bringing up this article. It took me a 20 minute cab ride home from the airport just to read the Guardian article! Then I fell asleep and dreamt about it all night 😀
Sad truth: the article might (MIGHT) be right yet their approach will definitely turn off people who are looking for any excuse to skip the exercise. Sadly, you can’t out-train a bad diet or one that is hypercaloric. You CAN build muscle that burns more calories at rest and that make you shapelier. You can burn hundreds of calories that would make you otherwise another 10 pounds heavier and bring with it all of the health hazards as well as the blow to your vanity.
They love the shock value of those headlines and taglines, and yet it is irresponsible.
I work out for all of those reasons and yes definitely weight-management is absolutely one of them. My reasons: sanity, strength, weight control, sheer enjoyment, cardiovascular health.
I do also believe that they need to look into what KIND of exercise might be ‘pointless’. I’ve been reading a bit about how moderate cardio doesn’t trigger certain hormonal changes that get things revving. There is so much more that we are discovering.
Very interesting about the compensating for the extra exercise with extra food- especially with kids who don’t yet even have food issues. THanks for posting this!
Great post! Yes, you can’t “undo the damage” of a bad diet (or, at least, most of it) with exercise. BUT, as you pointed out, exercise does SO MUCH more. The older I get, the more important it has become that I move in one way or another every single day. Otherwise, I’m in bad shape (more emotionally than physically). Also, looking back at my life and the periods when I exercised very little (I always did “something), I can say that my diet was a lot worse, too. I think when you make the decision to treat your body right, a healthy diet and enough physical exercise go hand and hand and can reinforce each other.
Hi Jenn, I am a fellow Cali blogger and found your blog listed on Healthy Living Blogs. I am putting together a California HLB meet-up and wanted to know if you are in the SoCal region and/or if you are interested in getting together.
If so, please email me at [email protected] and let me know.
I’m glad that they are making it known that diet is the most important role, but they do have to be cautious of making it seem like exercise holds no value. People will take such a message to the extreme.
I love those titles you came up with. I exercise because I am vain and want a perky butt. LOL. I want abs. I want to look young. Exercise makes me feel good about myself. Not exercising (I am off this week – so sick) makes me feel BLEGH. And exercise with a good diet does help keep you at a healthy weight.