The biggest problem some clients have with exercise is starting a regimen with great enthusiasm, then losing interest and sticking with their program only intermittently, until they finally give it up. As one of the major incentives for exercises has been weight loss, what if exercise doesn’t actually help you lose the weight you want? What then? 

According to Want to lose weight? Here’s why exercise probably won’t help, our expectations of exercise related to the scale are too high. “Large studies show that exercise alone usually produces modest weight loss, often just a few pounds over six months. That’s because your body will ‘correct’ for the extra activity by increasing your appetite or by lowering the calories burned for other bodily functions.”

Additionally, aging causes muscle loss, so “we have to exercise for longer or more intensely—to the point that it may become unrealistic—to achieve a calorie deficit substantial enough for weight loss.” Then, when we don’t see the number on the scale drop, we may feel we’re failing to meet our weight-loss goal and give up.

Take a minute to consider why you want to exercise even if you don’t shed pounds or enough of them. In that case, would you simply give up staying active? Be honest. My guess is that some of you would continue and some wouldn’t. In the latter group would be those with an underlying misconception of the purpose of exercise: that it has great value and benefits for both the mind and body, both inside and out. 

In case you need a reminder: “Exercise shines when it comes to metabolic health. It improves insulin sensitivity and reduces visceral fat, the type of body fat that lies deep in the abdomen and is linked to heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. These benefits often occur even when body weight stays the same. Recent research shows that short bursts of movement built into daily life, ‘exercise snacks,’ lead to significant reductions in disease risk, even in small doses. [It] makes people healthier even when it does not make them thinner. In fact, people who are fit tend to live longer than those who are not in shape, no matter what their body weights are.”

If you need help rethinking incentives for staying active, check out these blogs:

https://www.karenrkoenig.com/blog/exercise,

https://www.karenrkoenig.com/blog/barriers-to-exercise,

https://www.karenrkoenig.com/blog/exercise-calms-you-down,

https://www.karenrkoenig.com/blog/one-more-reason-to-exercise,

https://www.karenrkoenig.com/blog/what-is-the-best-motivator-for-exercise,

https://www.karenrkoenig.com/blog/what-does-exercise-mean-to-you,

https://www.karenrkoenig.com/blog/how-to-enjoy-exercise-more,

https://www.karenrkoenig.com/blog/really-you-don-t-have-time-for-exercise,

https://www.karenrkoenig.com/blog/don-t-call-it-exercise.

Best,

Karen