According to everything you read from the experts, we all ought to be exercising every day.
"They say" that it's good for you and that once you get into a routine you'll actually start to enjoy exercising.
Well I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I think the experts are crazy if they think most people are going to enjoy exercise.
The truth is, most of us hate exercise and only do it because we think we have to or because we want to lose weight.
If you don't think that statement is true, ask yourself this question "if I didn't need to lose weight or improve the shape of my body, would I still exercise?" I'll bet that if everyone told the truth you'd find that at least 75 or 80% of us would not exercise if we were given the choice.
So when Serena Williams, one of the best tennis players in the world validated this, it came to no surprise to me.
Here's what she said ""I don't like working out; I don't like anything that has to do with working physically.
If it involves sitting down or shopping, I'm excellent at it.
" It's long been known that prolonged strenuous exercise leads to burn out and many folks, including professional athletes just give up on exercise altogether.
One needs to look no further than all the professional athletes who show up on advertising for diet products.
Most have been or are overweight and out of shape, and after their dieting fame ends, they'll probably end up right back where they were.
My point here is not to pooh-pooh exercise, it's to point out that for the vast majority of people exercise is not something they enjoy.
Continuing to push it on people is not a way to get people in better shape or get them to lose weight because no one likes to continue doing something they don't like.
Instead of promoting exercises like weight lifting, aerobics and other forms of monotonous activity, we ought to be encouraging folks to get up off the couch and go do something physical.
Walking, getting involved in a sport, working in the garden or even walking the dog, promote weight loss just as well as going to the gym for an hour.
Don't let well-intentioned experts convince you that exercise for the sake of exercise is a good thing.
It's not, especially when it's promoted as a way to lose weight.
Starting an exercise program then giving up is just as bad as starting a diet and giving up.
It's discouraging, disheartening and promotes a feeling of failure.
Exercise alone is a poor substitute for better eating habits and seldom ever provides the kind of weight loss promoted by its advocates.
"They say" that it's good for you and that once you get into a routine you'll actually start to enjoy exercising.
Well I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I think the experts are crazy if they think most people are going to enjoy exercise.
The truth is, most of us hate exercise and only do it because we think we have to or because we want to lose weight.
If you don't think that statement is true, ask yourself this question "if I didn't need to lose weight or improve the shape of my body, would I still exercise?" I'll bet that if everyone told the truth you'd find that at least 75 or 80% of us would not exercise if we were given the choice.
So when Serena Williams, one of the best tennis players in the world validated this, it came to no surprise to me.
Here's what she said ""I don't like working out; I don't like anything that has to do with working physically.
If it involves sitting down or shopping, I'm excellent at it.
" It's long been known that prolonged strenuous exercise leads to burn out and many folks, including professional athletes just give up on exercise altogether.
One needs to look no further than all the professional athletes who show up on advertising for diet products.
Most have been or are overweight and out of shape, and after their dieting fame ends, they'll probably end up right back where they were.
My point here is not to pooh-pooh exercise, it's to point out that for the vast majority of people exercise is not something they enjoy.
Continuing to push it on people is not a way to get people in better shape or get them to lose weight because no one likes to continue doing something they don't like.
Instead of promoting exercises like weight lifting, aerobics and other forms of monotonous activity, we ought to be encouraging folks to get up off the couch and go do something physical.
Walking, getting involved in a sport, working in the garden or even walking the dog, promote weight loss just as well as going to the gym for an hour.
Don't let well-intentioned experts convince you that exercise for the sake of exercise is a good thing.
It's not, especially when it's promoted as a way to lose weight.
Starting an exercise program then giving up is just as bad as starting a diet and giving up.
It's discouraging, disheartening and promotes a feeling of failure.
Exercise alone is a poor substitute for better eating habits and seldom ever provides the kind of weight loss promoted by its advocates.