Exercise, In Moderation

I ran into an article in the Time Magazine (it can be found at http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1914857-3,00.html) that had an argument that resembling  Michael Pollan’s argument in In Defense of Food: An Eaters Manifesto.

In Pollan’s book, one of the main point that he enlightens his readers with is the dramatic shift of what people eat today to what previous generations of Americans ate. He argues that people (those contemporary scientists and nutritionists) have stressed out the importance of the nutrients in the food way too much. So much that now that “eaters” have become so concerned about what is in their foods rather then why they are eating it. We now only care about the calories, grams of fiber, sugar, carbohydrates, sodium and so on. We have forgotten why we eat. We eat because we enjoy to eat. Eating is a time to connect with individuals and is done socially.

Like wise, the article entitled “Why Exercising Won’t Make You Thin” by John Cloud makes a similar argument, but like you guessed about the way Americans exercise. His introduction paragraph pulls you in because you can relate to him. He states that, “As I write this, tomorrow is Tuesday, which is a cardio day. I’ll spend five minutes warming up on the VersaClimber, a towering machine that requires you to move your arms and legs simultaneously. Then I’ll do 30 minutes on a stair mill. On Wednesday a personal trainer will work me like a farm animal for an hour, sometimes to the point that I am dizzy — an abuse for which I pay as much as I spend on groceries in a week. Thursday is “body wedge” class, which involves another exercise contraption, this one a large foam wedge from which I will push myself up in various hateful ways for an hour. Friday will bring a 5.5-mile run, the extra half-mile my grueling expiation of any gastronomical indulgences during the week.”

Even I can relate to what he writes. Though I don’t have a personal trainer, I can say that I experienced this today. Finding any available time between classes..to what? Work myself like an animal! Like Pollan, Cloud further goes on to say that Americans have forgotten why we need exercise. He pulls some very persuasive numbers. Such as, now 43 million people belong to a health club as compared to 23 million in 1993. You think to yourself..wait..nearly twice as many people have signed up for the gym since 1993, yet the rate of obesity keeps on getting higher?! I was a bit confused myself. John explains that a lot of people tend to become more hungry after they exercise! And yes..I have experienced this. Right after the gym, I’m extremely hungry sometimes! Right after a intense workout, a lot of people choose to drink sports drinks. Many of which contain lots of sugars and calories. So if you workout hard and consumed those calories you burned off, then it would have been better if you just had walked around for awhile.

Like Pollan, He argues that people have forgotten why we need to exercise. We exercise because it helps our body maintain a healthy state. He states that exercise as in walking, gardening and just moving around. You do not have to sweat to death for hours at the gym in order to get exercise. In the last few years the rates of these low intensity exercises have dropped about 13%. Cloud also included a study of kids and the amount of exercise they participate in during the school hours. They looked at three schools, one  was a private school which mandated around 9 hours of physical activity. While the other two only had their students participate in around two hours of physical activity. They found that kids at all three schools moved around (they measured using a special tool they kids wore during the school day) the same amount and at the same intensity. Showing that a lot of physical activity does not mean more calories burned.

The big picture here is that health officials, like Pollan’s nutritionists (I personally have nothing against them, I actually believe that they contribute greatly to the health field.) have made it so that the wrong parts of exercise have been stressed. If people just got up and did something they actually enjoyed (like going for a walk) that it would benefit them more than going to the gym. But if you are going to exercise at the gym (nothing wrong with that) be conscious of what you do and eat outside of the gym. Because your hard work could be for nothing.

On the other hand this argument is not to deter those who want to lose weight and or just feel better. Other research and common sense disprove the notion that exercise can cause overeating and prevent weight loss. Look around the gym or the jogging trail. If this were the case, wouldn’t those who regularly exercise be the fattest? Cardio (high intensity ) exercise can improve heart health by strengthening the heart (which is a muscle that responds to exercise like skeletal muscle); improving stamina; decreasing blood pressure; lowering cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

Even for the non-overweight, exercise provides benefits that no single pill or prescription ever could. It treats numerous chronic conditions, such as heart disease, type II diabetes, osteoporosis, obesity, depression and anxiety. Studies show that when students are more active (through physical education, classroom activity, play, etc.) they improve test scores and attendance and experience fewer discipline problems and sick days. Participants in workplace wellness programs have reduced absenteeism, error rates and health care costs. They feel more alert, have better rapport with co-workers and enjoy their work more.

In the article it also brings up the point of humans not having sufficient “brown” fats like rats do. Apparently this type of fat is more efficient at burning calories than normal “white” human fat. It’s an interesting read if you have a chance to look at it.

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~ by taopham on September 30, 2009.