Introduction
When most people think of exercise, what comes to mind is strictly a way of just burning calories and losing weight. Maybe their mind also goes to putting on muscle and building strength, but that's typically where people think the benefits end.
While it is true that exercise is good for both these things, exercise has far more benefits that just putting you in a calorie deficit. It may just be the single best thing you can do for both your physical and mental health.
On Exercise and Weight Loss
It's a lot harder to lose weight through exercise alone. You've probably heard the phrase, "weight loss is done in the kitchen". And while exercise is fantastic for overall health, it's weakest benefit is probably for losing weight.
For example, let's look at 500 calories. It's very easy to consume 500 calories; it can be done in a manner of minutes. Ultra processed junk "foods" are extremely calorically dense, leading to overeating and weight gain.
Just a muffin, some chips, or a slice of cake for a snack will probably put you near (or over) that 500 calorie number, and it will be gone in less than a minute. In comparison, it will take nearly an hour of running to burn 500 calories. Not exactly a worthy trade-off now, is it?
Why Should I Exercise?
I'm referring to exercise as "the world's best medication". Why is that? Because if exercise were shoved into a pill, it would be the most sold drug of all time.
Daily exercise, coupled with a whole foods diet, has been shown to treat depression better than SSRIs. It's more effective at managing and preventing Alzheimer's than the leading drugs. It reduces chronic inflammation better than Advil. And oh so so much more. All without any of the side effects of these drugs.
Benefits of Exercise
How Much Exercise Should I Get?
The recommended minimum amount of exercise is 150 minutes per week of moderate activity (or 75 minutes at vigorous intensity). Sadly, the vast majority of Americans fail to reach this minimum; only 24.2% of adults achieve this goal. I'm surprised it's even that high to be honest.
Types of Exercise
How To Work Exercise Into Your Routine
Something as simple as going for a short walk before and after meals is crucial for improving both your life span and health span. Not only does it get your joints moving and blood flowing, but benefits your blood sugar by reducing glucose spikes.
I personally take a walk every morning before breakfast, and always try to move throughout the day when I get the chance. Turn on those move alerts, and get out of that chair! I'm a big fan of a standing desk and waking pad combo. As someone with a remote desk job, I must go out of my way to move throughout the day.
You don't want to just be doing cardio though. While yes, walking, running, hiking, and biking are all great for increasing your heart rate, burning calories, and supporting a healthy cardiovascular system, you need to also incorporate strength training. In addition to getting at least 10-12k steps daily, you should also be resistance training 3-4 times per week.
What does this look like? You could go to the gym and use either free weights or machines (my preference). Make sure to work various muscle groups, such as chess, biceps, triceps, shoulders, abs, and back. Don't skip leg day though; alternate upper body with lower body, working your quads, calves, and hamstrings.
But you don't need an expensive gym membership if you're not into that. At home, you can easily do a workout consisting of pushups, situps, squats, and calf raises, all requiring little or no equipment.
"Accidental" Exercise
Depending on your job, you may be getting enough exercise without even realizing it. Think about it: have you ever seen a fat mailman? They're on their feet all day walking around, getting lots of steps. Or think about utility field workers. They're out there digging holes and climbing poles, getting subtly stronger without even knowing it.
Exercise "Snacking"
Finally, we have the concept of "exercise snacking". Instead of getting all your exercise at once and being sedentary the rest of the day, exercise snacking is the concept of working little bits of exercise into your daily routine. A combination of both is ideal; you should still go to the gym or go for a bike ride, and well as munch on exercise throughout the day.
What can this look like? For me, I either do crunches or chin ups as I heat up my food. You could do squats as you brush your teeth (never tried that one), or do push ups after you go to the bathroom (okay that one I've done).
It could even mean parking in the furthest spot in the lot or taking the stairs instead of the elevator to get more steps in. Or do a morning yoga or stretching routine as your coffee brews.
Books like Atomic Habits by James Clear and Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg (unrelated books) are great tools to teach you about habit stacking. This is where you add one good habit on top of another existing habit, making it more accessible.
Conclusion
Exercise is oh so much more than a way to burn fat or build muscle. It's essential to living your healthiest and happiest life. Without it, you will end up frail and decrepit, with a slew of chronic diseases.
I bet if you take a look at your day, you can fit a few minutes of exercise in here and there. For not too much effort, you will see fantastic results.
So what are you waiting for? Lace up your shoes and go for a run, or hop in the car and drive to the gym. Maybe you prefer to go for a hike, play pickleball, or do some gardening.
While I'm not a swimmer, swimming is probably the best blend between cardio and strength training. So get out there! Get your heart rate up, blood flowing, and watch as you start to feel like a whole new person!
Quotes
Sources
When most people think of exercise, what comes to mind is strictly a way of just burning calories and losing weight. Maybe their mind also goes to putting on muscle and building strength, but that's typically where people think the benefits end.
While it is true that exercise is good for both these things, exercise has far more benefits that just putting you in a calorie deficit. It may just be the single best thing you can do for both your physical and mental health.
On Exercise and Weight Loss
It's a lot harder to lose weight through exercise alone. You've probably heard the phrase, "weight loss is done in the kitchen". And while exercise is fantastic for overall health, it's weakest benefit is probably for losing weight.
For example, let's look at 500 calories. It's very easy to consume 500 calories; it can be done in a manner of minutes. Ultra processed junk "foods" are extremely calorically dense, leading to overeating and weight gain.
Just a muffin, some chips, or a slice of cake for a snack will probably put you near (or over) that 500 calorie number, and it will be gone in less than a minute. In comparison, it will take nearly an hour of running to burn 500 calories. Not exactly a worthy trade-off now, is it?
Why Should I Exercise?
I'm referring to exercise as "the world's best medication". Why is that? Because if exercise were shoved into a pill, it would be the most sold drug of all time.
Daily exercise, coupled with a whole foods diet, has been shown to treat depression better than SSRIs. It's more effective at managing and preventing Alzheimer's than the leading drugs. It reduces chronic inflammation better than Advil. And oh so so much more. All without any of the side effects of these drugs.
Benefits of Exercise
- Improves gut microbiome
- Enhances immune function
- Increases mitochondrial function
- Regulates insulin and blood sugar
- Improves thyroid function
- Increases lymphatic flow and blood circulation
- Lengthens telomeres
- Reduces inflammation
- Improves insulin sensitivity
- Improves mood and cognitive function
- Lowers cortisol
- Lowers blood pressure and cholesterol
- Improves sex life
- Decreases risk of heart disease and cancer
- Prevents, improves, and reverses diabetes
- Reduces risk of chronic disease
- Prevents muscle and bone loss with age
- Decreases risk of sarcopenia and osteoporosis
- Increases weight and fat loss
- Improves muscle growth
- Treats depression and anxiety
- Combats Alzheimer's and dementia
- Prevents metabolic syndrome
How Much Exercise Should I Get?
The recommended minimum amount of exercise is 150 minutes per week of moderate activity (or 75 minutes at vigorous intensity). Sadly, the vast majority of Americans fail to reach this minimum; only 24.2% of adults achieve this goal. I'm surprised it's even that high to be honest.
Types of Exercise
- Walking
- Running
- Biking
- Rowing
- Swimming
- Stair machine
- Elliptical
- Weight lifting
- Pushups
- Pull ups
- Squats
- Stretching
- Yoga
- Sit ups
- Planks
- Hiking
- HIIT classes
- Ab and yoga YouTube videos
How To Work Exercise Into Your Routine
Something as simple as going for a short walk before and after meals is crucial for improving both your life span and health span. Not only does it get your joints moving and blood flowing, but benefits your blood sugar by reducing glucose spikes.
I personally take a walk every morning before breakfast, and always try to move throughout the day when I get the chance. Turn on those move alerts, and get out of that chair! I'm a big fan of a standing desk and waking pad combo. As someone with a remote desk job, I must go out of my way to move throughout the day.
You don't want to just be doing cardio though. While yes, walking, running, hiking, and biking are all great for increasing your heart rate, burning calories, and supporting a healthy cardiovascular system, you need to also incorporate strength training. In addition to getting at least 10-12k steps daily, you should also be resistance training 3-4 times per week.
What does this look like? You could go to the gym and use either free weights or machines (my preference). Make sure to work various muscle groups, such as chess, biceps, triceps, shoulders, abs, and back. Don't skip leg day though; alternate upper body with lower body, working your quads, calves, and hamstrings.
But you don't need an expensive gym membership if you're not into that. At home, you can easily do a workout consisting of pushups, situps, squats, and calf raises, all requiring little or no equipment.
"Accidental" Exercise
Depending on your job, you may be getting enough exercise without even realizing it. Think about it: have you ever seen a fat mailman? They're on their feet all day walking around, getting lots of steps. Or think about utility field workers. They're out there digging holes and climbing poles, getting subtly stronger without even knowing it.
Exercise "Snacking"
Finally, we have the concept of "exercise snacking". Instead of getting all your exercise at once and being sedentary the rest of the day, exercise snacking is the concept of working little bits of exercise into your daily routine. A combination of both is ideal; you should still go to the gym or go for a bike ride, and well as munch on exercise throughout the day.
What can this look like? For me, I either do crunches or chin ups as I heat up my food. You could do squats as you brush your teeth (never tried that one), or do push ups after you go to the bathroom (okay that one I've done).
It could even mean parking in the furthest spot in the lot or taking the stairs instead of the elevator to get more steps in. Or do a morning yoga or stretching routine as your coffee brews.
Books like Atomic Habits by James Clear and Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg (unrelated books) are great tools to teach you about habit stacking. This is where you add one good habit on top of another existing habit, making it more accessible.
Conclusion
Exercise is oh so much more than a way to burn fat or build muscle. It's essential to living your healthiest and happiest life. Without it, you will end up frail and decrepit, with a slew of chronic diseases.
I bet if you take a look at your day, you can fit a few minutes of exercise in here and there. For not too much effort, you will see fantastic results.
So what are you waiting for? Lace up your shoes and go for a run, or hop in the car and drive to the gym. Maybe you prefer to go for a hike, play pickleball, or do some gardening.
While I'm not a swimmer, swimming is probably the best blend between cardio and strength training. So get out there! Get your heart rate up, blood flowing, and watch as you start to feel like a whole new person!
Quotes
- "Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness"
- Edward Stanley - "Exercise is the single best thing you can do for yourself. It’s way more important than dieting, and easier to do. Exercise works at so many levels—except one: your weight"
- Dr. Robert Lustig - "Genes load the gun, but the environment pulls the trigger"
- Dr. George A. Bray
Sources