Exercise & Weight Loss
In 1979, my exercise physiology professor told me that, under normal circumstances, weight loss was a matter of calories in versus calories out. Fast forward 31 years; things have not changed.
This basic equation still governs weight gain and loss in otherwise healthy individuals. What has changed or evolved over these years are the many books touting special diets and exercise techniques along with different sorts of things to ingest including the latest pills that influence what your body absorbs.
The common thread with the many specialized weight loss techniques is the commitment to some kind of program. With such programs you commit your wallet and time to the latest fad or pill. Purchase the literature. Purchase the goods and take your chances that someday longitudinal scientific studies will not come out and say that those special pills and the diet du jour are the causes of an awful disease or condition.
You could also commit yourself to a simple program of regular exercise and eating less. This straight forward approach requires a physical commitment and mental commitment. Physically, one must make the time to start exercising and stop lifting copious amounts of healthy or unhealthy food into their mouths. Mentally, one must decide that living and striving for a healthy and comfortable life is worth the effort. If one were truly committed to their personal well being, it should be relatively easy to wake up one morning and change eating habits and start doing regular exercise.
Regular exercise and diet is an interactive system. On the surface a very simple system. It may or may not cost extra money. It requires a basic knowledge of how to exercise and what to eat. You could start with the simple mantra: Eat less - Move more! You could write this phrase on the back of your hand or on your kitchen table for a reminder. You are in control of bringing your hand to your mouth. You are in control of standing up and putting one foot in front of the other and moving. So why not take charge?
As far as what to eat, many books have been written on the amounts of proteins versus fats and carbohydrates that you should eat. Books have been written on the content of different foods, from natural to man made. All of this information is helpful as we do need a balanced and safe diet. However, in the end you could eat 3000 calories of meals containing the proper balance and types of carbohydrates, fats and proteins along with free range everything, hormone free, certified organic and healthy and do nothing for exercise and still gain weight because you did not use more calories than you ate.
Nevertheless, given everything we know about simple exercise and diet, fad diets, pills and special programs the statistics still suggest many people are failing in their attempts to lose weight. Healthy, highly intelligent and driven individuals capable of performing super human feats of hard work and effort to build successful companies are failing along with those individuals with less drive and motivation. Why are so many people failing in their attempts to lose weight?
Is it the industry? Everyday the industry is coming up with new fitness routines and fun programs to get people motivated. We tell you that strength and endurance training along with a healthy and balanced diet and 8 hours of sleep will help you to live longer and have more productive lives. We translate this into things like more time with your kids and loved ones. We tell you things like greater mobility and perhaps no need for assistance as you age. We tell you that the science says you are less likely to get the diseases that no one wants to get at any time in life. Yet all of this is still not enough.
Is it the fact that as a society we are getting soft....not just around the mid-section, but in our life energy? Have we all fallen into the trap of being so over worked and coddled and catered to, that we really just do not want to or cannot put out the effort. Is it that we would rather entertain ourselves and listen to our ipods? Is it the expectation that everything in life is supposed to be easy and when it is hard we give up? Why does everything have to be fun? Why does everything have to feel good in order for us to take part in an activity or to achieve a goal? Are there no longer things that we do just because we should? Perhaps this is the disease that needs to be cured.