You can’t exercise your way out of a bad diet.

 I like the saying, “Get Fit in the Gym, Lose Weight in the Kitchen” because it is so true.

Why is this? Well there are a few reasons. Exercise makes us hungrier, so we “compensate” by eating more. Many people use exercise as an excuse to eat more and end up eating more than they burn during the exercise. Don’t believe me? To counter the effects of one 20oz soda, you would have to walk 4.5 miles, or 1 supersize meal at a fast food restaurant you would need to run 4 miles every day for a week to burn it off! If you eat that supersized meal every day, you have to run a marathon every single day to burn it off. 

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*Note, for everyone tracking their food in MyFitnessPal. Do not eat the “extra” calories you get through exercise. It never works out and it is often a way people gain weight.
 

Another reason is that when we exercise, we may also compensate by being less active at other times. Have you ever plopped yourself down on the couch after a hard workout and no feel like moving? The more active we are at one time, the less active we may be later on.
 
This is why I encourage people to be more active instead of exercising. This may sound like I'm contradicting myself, but exercise and physical activity are subtly different and can mean the world of difference when trying to lose weight.
 
What is physical activity? Physical activity is any body movement that works your muscles and requires more energy than resting. Walking, running, dancing, swimming, yoga, mowing the lawn, picking up toys, and gardening are a few examples of physical activity.
 
What is exercise? Exercise is a type of physical activity that's planned and structured. Lifting weights, taking an aerobics class, and playing on a sports team are examples of exercise. You do not need to be at the gym to exercise! Exercising can be going for a 15 minute walk during your lunch break, dancing with your kids or girlfriends, or taking a dance class.

Physical Activity and Exercise are important for:
1.Better insulin sensitivity
2.Reduced stress
3.Improved brain health
4.Reduces risk for chronic disease
5.Enhances detoxification
6.Slows aging process
7.Improves sleep

Although exercise is great, I like to focus on increasing physical activity. Physical activity doesn’t sound so burdensome for a lot of people. Even though exercise doesn’t have to be at a gym, it requires some sort of planning and often gives people the excuse to eat more. Physical activity on the other hand can be fun and spontaneous and doesn’t sound so hard to do if you are out of shape.  It has also been shown by science that increased physical activity throughout the day is better than one long bout of exercise for your health! 

Easy ways to Increase Physical Activity:
1. Take the stairs instead of the elevator
2. Park further away
3. Take frequent bathroom trips
4. Take a walk during lunch
5. Play with your kids
6. Dance around the kitchen while making dinner

While it is true that you can’t over-exercise your way out of a bad diet, the right exercise (increasing physical activity) can help you lose weight, maintain weight loss, and control your appetite so you don’t overeat. Ideally you should do a minimum of 30 minutes of walking every day. Get a pedometer to track your steps. Wear it every day and set a goal of 10,000 steps a day. More vigorous and sustained exercise is often needed to reverse severe obesity and diabesity (diabetes related to being overweight). Run, bike, dance, play games, jump on a trampoline, or do whatever is fun for you.
 
 
Fun Facts about Steps:

• 2,000 steps to walk 1 mile, and 10,000 steps is close to 5 miles
• An average city block is equivalent to 200 steps
• On average, every minute walk to prolong life of 1.5 minutes to 2 minutes
• The experts agree, walk 6,000 steps a day to improve your health, and 10,000 steps to lose weight
• Walking one mile a day burns 100 calories
• Walking an extra 20 minutes a day will burn off 7 pounds of body fat per year!
• If you add just 2,000 more steps a day to your regular activities, you may never gain another pound, says research by Dr. James O. Hill of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center
• Walking burns approximately the same amount of calories per mile as does running. For example, walking briskly for one mile in 15 minutes burns about the same number of calories as jogging an equal distance in 8.5 minutes
• Duke University Medical Center found that a brisk 30-minute walk or jog around a track three times a week was just as effective as antidepressant medication in relieving the symptoms of major depression
• A walk after dinner aids digestion, lowers post meal blood sugar and insulin, and stimulates metabolism
• A recent Harvard study shows that walking at a moderate pace (3mph) for up to 3 hours a week -- or 30 minutes a day -- can cut the risk of heart disease in women by as much as 40%
• According to a survey published in the October 2000 issue of The Physician and Sports medicineIf, if you walk regularly (3 or more times a week for a half hour or more) you are saving $330 a year in health care costs
• Avoiding just 10 miles of driving every week would eliminate 500 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions a year

 
 
10,000 Steps Challenge:

• Wear your pedometer each day, if you don’t have a pedometer, there are many apps that you can download for your phone
• Honor system: at the end of each day, record your steps on your tracker
• At the end of the week, add up your weekly step totals
• Email me your steps!

 
 
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