Forget moderation and embrace the unnatural: Induced exercise, part 3.

(Parts 1 and 2)

I said before that it is difficult to draw a direct analogy between fighting gluttony (eating less) and moving around more and getting exercise.  One thing they do have in common:  If you're serious about them, you'll plan, and you'll make deliberate choices to follow the plan.

I know that one conventional wisdom is to "find opportunities for movement that fit into your life."  Play vigorously with your kids, take the stairs, walk to the corner store instead of drive, things like that.  The idea is supposed to be that working out is difficult in part because it's unnatural, that our ancestors got physical activity as an integral part of their daily lives and that's better for the psyche and the body.  I'm going to argue that, unless you are exceptionally lucky with respect to the arrangement of y0ur schedule and your environment, it's not enough.  Physical movement is an area where it pays to behave unnaturally.  Like a gerbil on a wheel!  Yes, very much like that.

"I'm just going to eat moderately" or "I'm just going to move more in my daily activities" -- these are linked, and here's why:  If weight is at all stable, we are already moving and eating "moderately."  In fact, we're exquisitely good at it:  we "moderate" our intake to match our physical effort, and our physical effort to match our intake. If we burn more energy, we are likely eating more energy.  If we eat less energy, we are likely burning less energy.   Or perhaps when we pride ourselves on having a moderate lunch one day, the salad and the half sandwich and no mayo, we're making up for it later without really noticing by nibbling crusts during dinner cleanup. Perhaps when we are pleased with ourselves for parking at the end of all the lots and walking to the stores, we are sleeping an extra few minutes longer in the morning.  

We are pretty good at "moderation."  What we aren't so good at is knocking ourselves off balance in the direction we want to go.   

So.  How do you knock yourself off balance?    You do something artificial, foreign, and shocking to the system.   If we're talking about eating, you make sure you eat less energy by measuring and controlling intake.  And if we're talking about movement, you introduce deliberate, controlled movement.   You "have a workout." You induce exercise.  

Maybe you could, possibly, if you could just figure out how, get enough exercise just by making small changes in your daily life.  Have you done it yet?  Why not?  Haven't figured out how to fit it all in?  Why wait for the stars to align so that you get enough physical movement "naturally?"  Until you figure out how to make that work, get some artificial movement.  Make it a priority to put in a couple of hours a week concentrating on moving your body.   Your body needs it, whether you're getting the groceries home at the same time or not.  

Or to put it another way:  Sure, it'd be best if we all got all the trace nutrients we need from fresh foods, vegetables and fruits grown in mineral-rich undepleted soil.  But that's no excuse not to take supplements if we need them.   Induced exercise is the supplement to our movement-depleted lifestyles.

My next post:  What's stopping you, Mom?  

Comments

[4ddintx]

Is the next post for me? I've been busy soul-searching the answer to that question. Trying to pull apart excuses from reasons. Looking forward to reading your thoughts and seeing how they align with mine!
Tabitha