Let's Get Physical (Part One)

Several years ago I was a distributor of nutritional and weight loss supplements - for a company that shall remain nameless, because it's not something I'd recommend anymore - and one of the questions we got a lot was "Do I have to exercise to lose weight?" We were instructed to tell people that no, they didn't have to exercise, that as long as they were following the program and eating right, they would lose. Diet was the most important thing, and if they didn't have the time or inclination to exercise... oh well. And while that's true, sort of, it's only half the story. Exercise can, and SHOULD, play a huge role in losing excess weight, gaining necessary weight, and just improving overall health.

Here's the deal with exercise vs dietary changes:

If you want to lose weight, and you have to - HAVE TO - choose between one or the other, you will see results more quickly with diet. It's a simple matter of science. If you 1) consume less calories or 2) burn more calories, you will lose weight. It's a relatively easy thing to cut unnecessary calories out of your diet, especially if your diet is poor to begin with. If you're a soda drinker for instance, you can shave hundreds of calories (and by extension, lose weight) just by giving up that one habit. Two 20 oz cokes have about 500 calories, about a quarter of an average person's caloric needs for the day! By comparison, in order to burn 500 calories, you would need to do some heavy-duty aerobic exercise, such as running, for around an hour. It takes much more time and commitment to stick with an exercise program, and it's all too easy to burn out and give it up.

(By the way, I know I said in my original post that I wouldn't advocate calorie counting... but I needed to mention calories in this instance for the sake of my illustration. No one should be drinking 40 ozs of coke every day anyway. ;-)

But here's the thing. Setting aside the context of weight loss for a minute, exercise is hugely important because it:

~strengthens cardiovascular health and reduces your risk of a heart attack
~reduces the risk of developing diabetes
~reduces the risk of developing high blood pressure
~reduces the risk of certain cancers
~helps build and maintain healthy muscles, bones, and joints
~reduces feelings of depression and anxiety, and promotes psychological well-being
~increases strength, flexibility, and agility

This is just a partial list! In addition, if you add exercise to a good clean, diet, you will lose weight more quickly, because not only does it burn calories in and of itself, but it also helps to increase your metabolism even when you're at rest. Bottom line is, if you're trying to decide which one to do -either diet or exercise - choose BOTH.