In Defense of My Ranting :)

I started this as a response to my sister’s comment on my last post, but it got a little long *blush* This is definitely a topic that is a hot button issue with me for many reasons, but I think it’s mainly because fitness is such a part of my life that when I see something that gives credence to the idea that exercise isn’t important, it really makes me angry. Well known fitness guru Tom Venuto wrote a great article in response, as did Kathy Smith, but here's my off-the-cuff response for your enjoyment, lol :

The first fallacy is the title of the article, which is “Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin” not “Why Intense, Heart-Stopping Cardio Won’t Make You Thin.” MR is right that the author brings up the point that exercise has other benefits, but then he disparages those benefits and goes on to claim that we’re just going to eat more food to compensate for the exercise anyway. Plus, his journalistic evidence is pretty thin. First of all, he only refers to one major study in adults. That’s not exactly a scientific slam dunk in terms of making a huge assumption like that. Additionally he mentions the study hinged on the idea that the obese women participants were asked to exercise or not exercise and not change their eating habits (which he uses to justify his overall thesis that exercise does not affect weight loss). Yet in the same part of the article, he states that the women who increased their exercise regime also increased their food intake, which directly contradicts the conclusion. Also, in the study on obese children and their energy expenditure, he makes no mention of the role parents play in determining what and how much their children eat. If the children in the study are getting the same benefit from either short bursts of activity or longer, sustained periods of activity then what is separating them from their thinner peers?

The author also relates pushing people to exercise with a potential increase in the obesity epidemic. Really?? Making the excuse that we are psychologically unable to resist that bag of chips we want after a workout is like saying a person with anger management issues couldn’t help themselves when they committed murder. I doubt it would hold up in any court. And then he goes on to relate exercise to “stressing our bodies in a gym.” Well, I don’t know about all of you, but I don’t go to a gym, and I would never do an activity that didn’t feel good to my body. Exercise does not equal body-punishing activity, and it is that stereotype that really ticks me off. I guess what it comes down to is that I just fundamentally disagree with the statement, “Could exercise actually be keeping me from losing weight?” and respond to it with a resounding, “No, dumbass, you are keeping you from losing weight with your poor dietary choices.”*

I am also really sick and tired of people telling me they don’t have time to exercise, and that I’m so lucky to be naturally thin. There’s nothing natural about it! I have 5 kids and 2 jobs, and I still manage to exercise most days a week because I enjoy the benefits of it. I also try to eat healthfully and proportionally (those 100cal packs will do you no good if you eat 3 in a row). I was not blessed with a natural thin gene, and I don’t even think I’m that thin…it’s just that our perceptions have changed as the average American’s weight has begun to creep up.

The reason I think the article is irresponsible is because people looking for an excuse not to exercise will gladly latch onto articles like this to avoid taking care of themselves, and, honestly, I am just really tired of the excuses. Obesity takes a huge toll on the healthcare system, bigger than smoking or alcohol abuse or drug abuse combined (partly because there are so many more overweight Americans than there are of the other mentioned populations). He should have been more forthright and said something to the effect of: rigorous exercise may not be the best method for weight loss. That would have been far more accurate.

Okay, I'm off my soapbox, I promise :) Next time I will post something less ranty!

*Speaking of dietary choices, I saw that all my talk about eating well has affected my children's psyche when J told me that she was unable to eat spicy food because it wasn't healthy for her body, hee!