The obesity epidemic isn't caused by overeating like a lot of people think. Yeah, it can be part of the problem for sure, but I feel that it is a minor issue compared to the real problem we have today.
We don't overeat, we undermove.
I really hate the axiom, "You can't outwork a bad diet". Ugh. It's true to a degree but it doesn't have a partner phrase, "You can't outeat lack of exercise."
The ring just isn't' there.
Listen. We need to to eat right? That is true. But we also need to move and I feel the movement aspect of health and wellness is under emphasized.
Do you know what most people that are overweight actually exhibit many of the signs of being malnourished? Lack of proper nutrition can cause many health issues; there are too many to address specifically.
Being overweight is caused partly by lack of a good nourishment routine. Sadly the perception of our culture is that we "overeat" and that is what makes us fat.
The next step people take is to eat less, and that is almost always not the best plan of action.
The first step should be to eat BETTER and, at the same time, move more.
I would argue that the most important step is to move more.
What will moving more do?
For one, it will make you eat better.
How is this the case?
The more you move your body the more in tune you will get with your body. You will feel crappy when you eat crappy food. You will feel lack of nutrition. You will feel like dirt when you don't eat right.
This seems to make sense to me. Does it make sense to you?
It's not always the case and I don't know the science behind our own bodies intuition but I feel like the more we move the more in touch with our bodies we will be.
When we move more we sleep better.
Last night I crawled into bed and I was out in a matter of seconds. Why? Well I exercised extra yesterday and I was super tired.
When you move your body more you get stronger. You just feel better. It's easier to do stuff. It's easier to pick up stuff. You keep up with your kids better. You have more energy.
I could go on and on about the positive effects of exercise.
I think a lot of people have negative connotations about exercise. They think it's too hard, or they will get bulky, or they will get hurt, or be bad at it, or any number of others excuses that prevent them from working out.
Exercise should be fun and it should be something that you look forward to doing.
The benefits of moving your body are numerous and there are no downsides.
Sadly our society doesn't place the importance on moving the body everyday like it should.
Lots of chatter about how much we eat (notice how there are calorie counts on everything?) and not nearly as much talk about moving the body.
If you want to lose weight the very first and most important step is moving your body. You will need to change the way you eat as you go along but first and foremost you need to move your body each and everyday.
If you are overweight chances are you don't have a big problem with overeating. Chances are you have a problem with undermoving.
Get to work. Move your body.