Exercise is NOT a Waste of Time

Posted on May 7, 2009

To those who believe exercise is a waste of time:  It’s not. 

[Note: when I say "exercise" I mean in all of its forms and also include all physical activity].

While evidence may point to eating habits having a greater effect on weight loss than exercise alone, exercise should not be brushed aside. 

Honestly, I get sick of hearing these new “diets” that promote weight loss without any form of exercise being done.  Look, exercising is hard work and if you really want to be healthy, and not just “skinny,” or less heavy, you need exercise, in all of its forms.

Yeah, what you put into your body is important.  No question. 

But here’s the thing, just eating healthier can’t provide resistance to strengthen our muscles.  Better eating habits can’t strengthen our heart and cardiovascular system.  Better eating habits can’t help us get more flexible.  Yes, eating habits can help provide good fuel/nutrients for all these activities, but alone can’t provide all the benefits exercise can.

Beyond the physical aspect of exercise is the mental aspect.  Exercise is a great way to relieve stress and anxiety.  Exercise can also provide a feeling of satisfaction.  It just feels good!

It seems to me that authors these days will write anything to sell a book, including telling the world that exercise is not necessary to lose weight.  Well, they are right, you don’t need exercise to lose weight, but it should be included in your healthier lifestyle.  There’s more to being healthy than just weighing less and being skinny-as-a-rail. 

It’s what’s going inside that matters more than what people are saying about how you look on the outside. 

To lose weight some forms of exercise will be better than others.  Walking at 3 mph for 30 minutes probably won’t cut it.  Yeah, it’s better than nothing, but strength training, interval training, etc. will be more beneficial.  Better yet, do it all and change it up on different days. 

Again, there’s no question that what you eat matters.  Absolutely no question.  But please, do not ever say that exercise is a waste of time.  You and I both know that is completely false. 

Better eating and getting the right kinds of exercise go hand in hand, not just for weight loss, but for better health. 

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» Filed Under Exercise, Heart Health, Nutrition, Weight Control

Comments

  • http://www.rookie-cookie.com rookie cookie

    Who just says exercise is a waste of time? Tell them that sitting in front of the TV is too.

    rookie cookie´s last blog post..Fess Up No. 6

  • Blake Hagen

    @rookie cookie

    Haha… yup. I say that as I sit here and watch TV with the wife :) Thanks for stopping by!

  • http://www.fitnesstipsforlife.com Fitness Guy

    You are absolutely right Blake. I try to eat better all the time but the most important things to me are how much stronger I am getting and how much better my endurance are. I always see results from exercise but not so much from changing my eating habits.

  • http://www.fitnesstipsforlife.com/fitness-links-for-may-7th.html Fitness Links for May 7th

    [...] at the Fight for Fitness Blog reminds us all that exercise is critically important.  No matter how well you eat it will [...]

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  • Margaret

    While I agree wholeheartedly with what you are saying, there is one thing I would like to point out. You said that walking at 3 mph for 30 minutes a day probably won’t cut it for weight loss, but that’s exactly how I started out, 50+ pounds ago, 3 and a half years ago. My knees were in bad shape (exacerbated by the excess weight), and exercising longer or harder only resulted in setbacks. Doing 30 minutes every day at 3 mph was a proud accomplishment and a sustainable choice at that time, and with making healthy food choices and portion control, I lost weight fairly quickly.

    Of course, I was soon able to increase my speed and length of exercise, and eventually added resistance training. My knees are much better now (still a fine line between what they can handle and what is too much), but it just goes to show that “it’s all relative.”

    If someone just starting out can do 30 minutes at 3 mph, like you said, it’s better than nothing, and it can result in weightloss.

    Thanks for your blog — I enjoy reading it!

    Margaret

  • Blake Hagen

    @Fitness Guy

    Thanks for sharing.

    @Margaret

    Awesome! I agree, we all have to start somewhere. If most people just did 30 mintues a day the world might be a lot healthier.

    The point I was trying to make was that some people just do the bare minimum and never change it up. They also never change their eating habits.

    You are a great example of someone who made small changes with both exercise and eating and had big rewards for it. I applaud you. Thanks for reading and sharing!

  • Margaret

    When I was still obese, I originally tried to do 60 minutes of walking every OTHER day, and needed the day off in between for my knees to recover. I don’t know why I never thought of doing just 30 minutes EVERY day, until someone else suggested it to me (duh). I guess I was stuck in the mindset that 30 minutes wasn’t enough, but when I tried it every day and found my knees could handle it, then I was on my way to success.

    So I want to encourage any of your readers who might be just starting out — don’t do nothing because you think that what you CAN do isn’t enough. LOL Make sense?

    Margaret

  • Blake Hagen

    @Margaret

    Yes, makes sense. Any amount of activity is better than no activity. Hopefully everyone understandds that exercise is not a waste of time!

  • http://www.myfamilydoctormag.com James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

    Agree with you. Exercise has to be a part of a healthy lifestyle.

    James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.´s last blog post..The Modern Dentist: Today’s fun trends and relaxing help

  • http://www.luxurypropertyitaly.com/ Pregio

    Do some regular exercise, and eat healthily – it’s simple really…

    Pregio´s last blog post..Immobili di lusso

  • http://www.callcarenet.com/ Shared Decision Making

    Exercise always pays and what is more important is it also keeps the blood circulation of the body going and tones up the body.

  • http://www.get-taller.net How To Get Taller

    I agree. Exercise is definitely not a waste of time. That said, it sickens me when people hours and hours in the gym, burning themselves out!

    I only exercise 1.5hrs a week, and I am in better shape than most of my friends. And it actually takes very little effort.

    So my advice for people wanting to look good. It’s all about lifestyle:
    - eat a healthy, balanced diet, and eat only enough to repplace lost energy and nutrients from exercising.
    -do high intensity workouts 3 times a week for 3 minutes, working as many muscles groups as possible
    -do this for the rest of your life and you will never have to worry about binge dieting or exercising for that matter.

    I’ve been doing this for over 5 years – no supplements, just good food and intense exercise and I have never been in better shape.

    Just be consistent and you will get results :)

  • http://nutritionsupplementsreviews.blogspot.com/ Healthy Living for Life

    In order to have a healthy lifestyle exercise is critical. People that are writting books that tell you it is not a simply wrong. Millions of Americans will spend billions of dollars on these books and programs only to find that they have wasted their hard earned dollars.