Was there absolutely nothing relevant and newsworthy going on in the country last week? Is that what lead TIME Magazine to run their flamboyant and irrational cover story titled, “Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin” by John Cloud?
As a fitness expert, I read with horror this erroneous information. Despite ALL evidence pointing towards the effect of exercise combined with weight management, in a time when 32% of our population (that’s almost 90 million) is considered obese and our country’s youth are literally growing horizontally at an alarming rate, this article disputed the in-numerable benefits regular exercise provides to anyone and everyone for physical health and mental well being.
The image of the woman exercising on a donut states the obvious. Indulging in donuts regularly or any food, high in preservatives and fat will, well, make you fat. We know this. It is obvious. There are plenty of facts to support this. We do not need an article on the front page of TIME Magazine to tell us this.
What is absolutely, 100% true is that a healthy balance of exercise coupled with a well balanced diet and sleep will buy you time in life. Yup, it’s that simple. Many folks could kiss their health issues away, such as heart problems, diabetes, some forms of cancer. These are diseases that kill millions of Americans each year often because they did not exercise, eat right and generally did not take care of themselves prior to getting sick.
At Fitcorp, we have been leaders in our field helping people feel better, look better and just plain lead a happier and healthier life by introducing exercise into their daily routine. We tailor programs that meet the fitness goals of our members. We understand that everyone is not an uber-athlete and everyone has their own personal fitness needs. We also understand that many professionals are in front of a computer dealing with daily stress and a sedentary life. Our job is to help people get moving, find a plan that they can actually do within their time frame and enjoy.
We see the benefits of exercise and its impact on folks everyday. We have members who have been able to stop taking medicine for a chronic health problem due to a healthier lifestyle incorporating regular exercise, members that are able to chase after their children after getting into better shape. We have spurned confidence in thousands of people who were hiding behind their weight. We’ve seen folks leave some forms of depression behind as exercise creates endorphins that made them feel better.
How can anyone possible argue with this? Ask the American Cancer Society or the American Heart Association or the American Diabetes Association if exercise is an important element in avoiding these diseases. They’ll all tell you the same thing.
REGULAR EXERCISE COUNTS. REGULAR EXERCISE CAN HELP SAVE YOUR LIFE.
Where does diet fit in here? It fits in everywhere. Just because you are exercising, it does not give you the liberty of living on junk food. Exercise alone with no regard to what you put in your mouth does not help you lose weight and most certainly does nothing for your good health. You can lose weight and feel better all the way around by taking some consideration of what you eat combined with regular exercise. The author states that his 360-calorie muffin was erased by an hour of aerobic activity. So if he hadn’t exercised, he would have eaten an egg white? I don’t think so. He likes blueberry muffins and he should be able to eat one. You can do that and eat a brownie once in awhile too if you combine your regular exercise with a balanced diet.
This is not rocket science here and shouldn’t be the tempting topic of what we consider a national news-worthy magazine such as TIME. Sensationalizing these important issues at a time when obesity, and health related deaths are skyrocketing is simply irresponsible. We need all the help we can get here at Fitcorp as do all health and fitness centers. Giving people an excuse to NOT exercise doesn’t help anyone. Here at Fitcorp, we are proud of what we bring to our members’ lives. We help them feel better, look better, be healthier and have a happier, more enjoyable life. It doesn’t get better than that. More than anything, we wish we could help EVERYONE feel the benefits of regular exercise. We know for a fact, if they tried it, they would see the benefits and alter their life.
We go home at the end of the day knowing we have made a difference in someone’s life and that feels good.
