You're not obligated to win. You're obligated to keep trying to do the best you can every day. ~Marian Wright Edelman
Let's be perfectly clear - you need four things to be healthy: whole foods, clean water, enough sleep and exercise. We'll repeat it again. You need exercise. You're minding your diet, which is awesome - make sure you are mindful about exercise. Exercise keeps your heart healthy, your brain sharp, diabetes at bay... and your muscles toned. And just as important as exercise is NOT being obese.A recent Time article came states that exercise won't help you lose weight. It suggests that for most people, vigorous exercise makes you:
- Eat MORE because you're hungry and think that you deserve it. Lots of people think this - I ran an 8K with my family over the Fourth of July, and my cousin stopped at Krispy Kreme after the race. She thought it was a reward for being virtuous, but the 200 calories in a doughnut negates the calories burned in a slow run. (Sorry cuz). She wasn't alone in her faulty math since we ran into a lot of other runners from the race.
- Move less than you normally would. After vigorous exercise, a lot of people put their feet up instead of continuing on with their normal activities.
None of this matters if your goal is just to get healthy - do the exercise!
If you want to lose weight, you should still exercise. You also need to portion control. In losing weight, portion control is more effective. The inviolate principle behind losing weight is simple - expend more calories than you need to maintain your weight. Reading the Time article is helpful, since it gives you greater awareness of what to watch out for - don't reward yourself with excess calories, and keep moving. You can lose weight - just plan and know the pitfalls to watch out for.
What to do - Exercise
- You need to exercise to be healthy. It will save you money since you will have less health-related issues, you'll feel great, and you'll be setting a great example for the kids. This post on mindful exercise will help you get started.
- Turn exercise into a habit. Don't reward yourself - if you do, give yourself a healthy treat like extra time to read a book or your favorite fruit. You don't reward yourself with a piece of candy for brushing your teeth, do you?
- If you are trying to lose weight, exercise is additive. You don't need to rest. Carry on with your regular like, and don't eat any extra calories.
The Time article definitely struck a chord with me since vigorous exercise makes me gain weight. I am in my second season of marathon training, and this week will clock ~37 miles. I'm also the heaviest that I've ever weighed. Last year, I also gained weight during training. I don't mind, since I feel fitter than usual. The weight came off after the marathon, but during the season I definitely eat more and spend much of my nonrunning time being lazy. Experiment - keep a food and exercise log and see what happens!
Want to learn more?
- The Time article, Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin, and a New York Magazine article that makes similar claims
- SparkPeople on the mechanics of why exercise doesn't make you lose fat (you burn glycogen instead of fat)
- Refuting the Time article: LA Times
What I ate: 14 oz. coconut water, 14 oz. vegetable juice, Barbara's Bakery Puffins cereal + blueberries + 2% milk, small latte, 2 coffees, sauteed salmon + spinach + shitaake mushrooms, quinoa, 1 plum, Mindful Mix, 2 apricots, 2 cups popcorn, Barilla Plus spaghetti (yuck), raw tomatoes + garlic + basil, blueberries, baked tofu, chicken, 14 oz. milk, 50 oz. water
Exercise: Ran 5 miles
