Hold onto your hats, Mamas…I’m about to unleash…
I just read a post from a woman who lost 50lbs. Awesome! I LOVE that. She was unhealthy and needed to lose weight and did it all through eating properly. She didn’t eat after dinner, she stopped drinking and she changed some other habits. Bingo bango…love it. But, it went sideways for me when she then wrote “Exercise shmexercise…who has time for that?”. And that, my lovely readers, is when my head actually popped off my head, rolled around my office floor and sat there hyperventilating for a few minutes.
Okay. Okay…okay, okay, okay.
I AGREE: nutrition is a HUGE part of weight loss. Like, 80% important. I concede. Yup. You got me there. Point for you. You win.
But exercise isn’t just about losing weight! Most trainers don’t focus on exercise as a tool to lose weight, at least they shouldn’t. Exercise is a way to make your body healthy. For me, exercise isn’t a weight-loss tool, it’s a prescription for healthy living.
Stop thinking of exercise solely as a tool to lose weight. It can absolutely be used to augment your weight loss journey if you go through a program designed for weight loss (hello HIIT and strength training workouts). You bet, it’ll aid in your weight loss, 100%. But your nutrition is most important when it comes to weight loss.
But exercise shmexercise? No. No, no no, no, no, no, NO!
GAH!
I read and I read and I read about how us trainers guilt you into feeling bad about not exercising. I read articles on how we should stop shaming you all for not getting your asses off the couch and moving your body. And yes, while I don’t feel like you should be shamed, I think you need to reflect on your life, what you prioritize and THEN tell me you don’t have time for fitness. I’m not shaming you. I’m educating you. I’m empowering you. I’m trying to get through all your excuses about why you can’t exercise and remind you of the reasons why you can and should!
Here’s a just a quick list of the benefits of exercise:
- Reduces body fat (nope, not talking about weight, I’m talking about actual fat that makes the systems in your body work more efficiently).
- Boosts your immune system.
- Lowers blood pressure.
- Decreases stress.
- Known prescription for depression and anxiety disorders.
- Strengthens bones.
- Improves complexion.
- Improves memory.
- Maintains mobility.
- Strengthens your heart.
- Reduces diabetes risk.
- Clears arteries.
- Manages chronic pain.
- Oxygenates your body.
- Strengthens muscles.
- Improves memory.
- Boosts your mood.
- Helps with mental focus.
- Increases metabolism and increases energy.
- Improves your quality of sleep.
And that took me under 2 minutes to write. I could go on and on and on. So don’t tell me exercise isn’t important. Don’t stand in front of a person dedicating her life to creating a movement of family fitness, of empowering women to get active so their kids are active and tell me exercise isn’t important. Don’t you exercise schmexercise me. That’s bullshit. I’m not shaming you. I’m trying to get through to you.
What’s it going to take? You want research articles on the importance of exercise? Fine:
Parental Influence on Children’s Physical Activity Levels
Benefits of Aerobic Fitness on Stress, Sleep & Fatigue on Postpartum Women
Exercise and Postpartum Depression
Take your shakes and your pills and lose the weight. Go ahead. It’ll just come back. But…off you go. It’s not about a quick fix when it comes to exercise. Exercise isn’t just about weight loss. Exercise is about moving your body to help you LIVE. LIVE. Not just survive. LIVE. Feel better. Work better. Have more energy. Love yourself.
Exercise Shmexercise? No. Stop looking at fitness as just a weight loss tool. How many times have I written that in this post?! Exercise and physical activity have the power to change your health, your mood, the life of those around you…the life YOU LEAD. Exercise and being physically fit WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE. Not because you’re losing weight, but because your body is getting healthy. Exercise does that.
So stop telling me you don’t have time. Stop telling me I’m shaming you because you use time as an excuse. Stop telling me you only need food to be healthy. Stop it.
I’m not listening. Just like a lot of you won’t listen to me now. But, just as you continue to give me excuses, I will continue to educate, push and force you to listen to my message. Until you get it. Because YOU are important. Not your weight. YOU. Your LIFE. Your HEALTH. YOUR WELL-BEING.
Rant over.