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I'm a big supporter of exercise. So much, in fact, that I've based my entire career teaching others how to exercise. But I'm also the first person to admit you don't NEED exercise to lose weight. It helps, but exercise contributes significantly less to weight loss that you would hope.
In the grand scheme of calories and energy management, exercise contributes to only about 10% of your daily caloric output. That means your lifestyle contributes to 90% of your weight loss goals. You can read more about that here.
Once that fact has settled in, most people start to wonder: Why exercise at all? Sure, it helps increase your caloric deficit, meaning you lose fat faster. Exercise also shapes how your body looks as you lose weight.
I like to say "Diet controls your weight, exercise controls what you look like at that weight."
But, if it's only 10 percent of the overall equation, do we really need to break a sweat? Why exercise at all?
Great question. Let's briefly review all the health benefits and why you should exercise.
You're Harder to Kill
The single biggest health benefit of exercise comes from a statistic called "All-Cause Mortality." This is the often-cited statistic that health reports, medical research, and governments use to report the total number of deaths in a given region or population.
When exercisers are compared to non-exercises, the total rate of all-cause mortality is greatly reduced.
This means that exercise prevents death from all types of illnesses and diseases, including cancer, heart disease, immune system dysfunctions, and pretty much any other category you can think of. New research emerges almost daily about various health-related effects of exercise - almost so frequently that we start to tune it out.
You Heal Faster
Exercise increases blood flow, and improves blood flow efficiency. This means more blood is circulated through the body, bringing nutrients and oxygen to places. This is what you need to heal.
Exercise increases the number of capillaries you have, which brings more blood to more places. Expert exercisers heal faster from injuries and minor skin problems than their non-exerciser peers.
It doesn't take much to get this benefit. As little as a daily 20 minute walk will help improve circulation by a significant amount.
It Makes You Look Younger
As mentioned above, exercise brings more blood flow to your skin. This keeps your skin looking healthier and younger. Plus sweat helps clear your pores and keeps your skin resistant against foreign substances and other issues. It may also help prevent wrinkles from forming as we age.
Not just appearances, exercise also appears to actually slow cell aging. Current research suggests that exercise turns off the telomere aging process in your cells. Keeping you young in appearance and in health.
Being Strong is Awesome
There's nothing quite like being confident in your body. Being able to grab a bar and hoist yourself up is one of the best feelings in the world. Having insight, control, and mastery of your body is one of life's great virtues.
No man has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable. - Socrates
But it's not just vanity. Being strong makes you more resilient to physical injuries. Exercise helps reduce the risk of falls in the elderly. Plus, exercise increases bone mineral density, meaning the bones of exercisers are literally more dense than the bones of non-exercisers.
Being strong is awesome.
It Strengthens Your Mind
More than just physical attributes, exercise strengthens your brain. It keeps neural connections strong, especially as you age. This means you're more resistant to age-related disease like dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and cognitive impairment.
Exercise also helps regulate the hormones and chemicals in your brain - making you mentally resistant. The list includes:
Reduced depression
Better sleep
Reduced anxiety
Sharper memory and recollection
Reduction in emotional stress and stress hormones
Reduction in PTSD and Trauma
Improved emotional resilience
It Doesn't Take Much
The benefits of exercise are quickly gained, but consistency is key. It doesn't take much, either. You don't need to allocate hours and hours every week.
Current research shows that as little as two 20 minute exercise sessions per week offers significant benefits. Plus, it doesn't have to be super-intense. A light sweat, or an increase in body temperature is all that's needed for much of the health improvements.
Resistance training kicks the health benefits up a notch with all the resilience and toughness, but even a daily walk around the block is a great way to stay young and healthy.
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