Exercise is the closest thing we have to a magic bullet
when it comes to personal health and well being. First of
all, any amount of exercise above what you are already
doing is most likely going to be better for you (unless you
are already an elite level athlete and in peak physical
condition). Also, exercising is totally free; you don't
need to spend one red cent to get all the health promoting
benefits of exercise. So if we all know it's good for us,
and its free, why don't more people do it?
I think the problem lies with our distorted view of value
and money. In a society driven by money that measures worth
based price, how could something totally free be of any
value? So it must not make sense to many people that
something completely free could be of such incredible value
and worth. Most people can tell you what a house is "worth"
or what a car is "worth". But ask them to tell you how much
a few hours per week of exercising is "worth" and you'll
most likely get a blank stare. How can you put a dollar
figure to the benefits of a lifetime of exercising and
living a healthy lifestyle? The answer is, you can't! There
is no amount of money that can buy you back your health
once you let it go! But this concept must truly be lost
considering the amount of people that are succumbing to
lifestyle disorders like diabetes, heart disease and
obesity. All of which can be reduced or flat out removed by
living a healthy lifestyle and exercising.
Instead of putting a little effort into regular workouts
most people would rather take a drug to deal with lifestyle
disease problems. I believe this happens for three reasons.
1) Because this makes more sense to them, it is a simple
value for a dollar equation. After all, prescriptions come
from the best that medical science can offer. And obviously
the more expensive the drug or treatment is, the better it
must be, again value for the dollar. You work hard for your
money, and you are trained to believe that money should be
able to buy you everything else you need in your life,
including your health. And this couldn't be further from
the truth. Isn't it ironic that the pharmaceutical industry
spends billions of dollars researching and marketing drugs
that do the same thing as a few (free) workouts per week
can do!
2) People are just too busy to "fit in" a few workouts per
week. People who have not grown up with the habit of
exercising simply do not factor it into their daily
routine. As little as three 30 minute workouts per week
would do wonders for anyone who doesn't exercise at all.
But even this little amount of time spent (1.5 hours per
week) seems to be too much.
3) Effort. Even though exercising is completely free and
can provide more health benefits than all the drugs in the
world, most people don't want to put in the effort. I
believe people feel they work hard enough at their jobs,
school, raising a family and whatever else they are
involved in. Ask a person to spend some of their precious
free time working out and it must seem like the work never
ends.
So the answer is there, we all know what to do, but most
people won't own up and do what it takes. Not having enough
time is simply an excuse. Even the busiest person on earth
can find 1.5 hours per week of spare time to throw in a few
short workouts. But for some reason, even though everyone
knows exercising is good for them, they still avoid it.
And this is the most troubling point of it all. Exercising
is free, and has more health benefits than any amount of
drugs could ever have. Regular exercise can reduce blood
cholesterol, reduce blood lipids, improve cardiovascular
functioning and fitness, lower your blood pressure, improve
your insulin sensitivity, help improve symptoms of type 2
diabetes, reduce body weight, reduce body fat, improve the
overall look of your body, increase bone density, build
strong muscles, improve your self image and self
confidence, helps to alleviate depression, adds structure
to your day, provides a gratifying experience that builds
confidence and character, and teaches you the concept of
delayed gratification and a bit of self sacrifice for long
term gain. Now could you imagine a drug that could do all
of that!
----------------------------------------------------
John Barban is a professional strength and conditioning
coach and nutrition expert. He has extensive experience
designing nutritional supplements and has developed his
trademark workout for women 6 Minute Circuits. John is an
expert contributor to
http://www.efit-today.com/public/department59.cfm and
recomends the diet program http://www.eatstopeat.com , and
believes it is the best new diet for easy and effective
weight loss.
No comments:
Post a Comment