Why Exercise Is Both Important – And Can Hurt You

Written by: Dr. Christine Sauer, Executive Contributor

Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.

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We hear it all the time: We need to exercise more, get fit, eat better. We know that exercise can help to prevent or improve chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, even cancer and dementia.

Sounds like a good thing, right, sounds like the right thing to do. But there is a problem: This advice doesn’t work, at least not for most people.

In this article, I am examining why this is and what we can do to truly address the root causes of these issues.

The Statistics Do Not Look Good

Here are some data from the CDC: “Current national guidelines for aerobic physical activity recommend for substantial health benefits, adults should participate weekly in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, or an equivalent combination. Despite the health benefits, fewer than half of United States (U.S.) adults met the minimal guidelines for aerobic activity and almost one-third of adults were physically inactive in 2011.”

The financial burden for society, is estimated to be more than 53·8 billion worldwide in 2013

Exercise and physical fitness can be measured and is a powerful predictor of longevity.

It’s even worse when it comes to obesity.

From the WHO database: “Worldwide obesity rates have almost doubled since 1980. The epidemic of diabetes, which is closely associated with obesity and urbanization, has skyrocketed in rich and poor countries alike. This is a world in which more than 40 million pre-school children are obese or overweight.”

So – what happened, and why is it that 90% of all weight loss diets fail?

The Root Causes of Obesity

I have written before about the surprising root causes of obesity (hint: there are many, and you may not even have considered most of them) and that current recommendations (diet and exercise) won’t solve the problem, but only make it worse.

So – check in your own life and that of your family and friends – which group do you fall in? How are you and those around you doing with eating right and exercising regularly?

And if you are in the large percentage of people that don’t “measure up to the standards”, don’t despair.

Statistics will never be able to predict how YOU will fare as an individual.

But if you want to lose weight, if you feel bad about your looks, if you don’t like huffing and puffing going up the stairs, if your doctor told you your sugar is creeping up, you are pre-diabetic or even Type 2 diabetic, you suffer from mood swings, depression, memory issues or chronic disease runs in your family, it is time to explore other options.

Did you try diet and exercise before and it didn’t work? Or it didn’t work for long?

Now you know why: This doesn’t address the root causes of why you are gaining weight and cannot keep it off.

Here is my answers when it comes to exercise:

You Cannot Out-Exercise Bad Eating

The truth is: The calories you burn during a typical 30 min weight lifting workout are around 100…

And a 30 min aerobic workout burns maybe 200 calories.

So for 1 hour of exercise, you could eat an additional average of 150 cal, which is about a small sandwich or ½ of a typical cheeseburger, or 1 scoop of ice cream, 30 M&M’s or 2 squares or milk chocolate…

Here is a cool calorie burn calculator where you can enter your weight to see how many calories are burned by activity…

You Can Lose Weight Without Any Exercise

It is true. I lost 150 lbs within 2 years without exercise. I was then still suffering from severe lower back pain due to slipped discs and just didn’t do any exercise.

It is harder, as you need to be very creative with your diet, and maybe even consider weight loss surgery as an additional tool (I did with great success), but it is not impossible.

What To Do Instead Of “Trying Harder” To Lose Weight

So many people try so hard to lose weight, and do everything right, even “perfectly” – for a few weeks or months – and the weight comes off at first, but then it stalls, you reach a plateau, you feel discouraged and end up giving up and the “regular” eating patterns creep back up and so does the weight.

What we can do instead is – first: relax. Take it slow. Slow and steady wins the race. Get help. Get good support by someone who knows how to do this, has done it before, won’t judge you, won’t put you down, but will encourage you to keep on doing the things that work for you.

A great coach that knows about truly holistic, 5D weight loss and not just diet and exercise is great, but don’t expect stunning results in a few weeks.

Results that last a lifetime and lead to lasting better health and wellness, yes, even more happiness – are not achieved in a few months. It takes a year or longer to truly achieve this.

And, you know, if you are a human like me, you will need support to be able to maintain this effort and get those results in the long term.

I have a coach myself who motivates and supports me in all I endeavor, and I recommend that if your goal is lasting weight loss and optimal health, you hire a coach like me for yourself.

The More Often You Failed In The Past, The More Likely You Are To Succeed This Time

It is true. We know that from smoking cessation: The more often you failed before, the more likely you are to succeed next time.

So: Even if you are a typical YoYo dieter, even if you tried “everything” and are ready to give up…

DON’T give up. Success may be just right around the next corner.

Try again, explore other options. Go back to the root causes and see which one may be applicable for you…

5D Weight Loss May Be The Solution To Lasting Holistic Weight Loss

If an individual is overweight, the reason is not that they eat the wrong things, too many calories or that they don’t exercise enough.

As humans, we can’t be simplified to this simple approach, and it is bound to fail. For most humans, weight gain and the potential resulting miseries of disease that follow as a long-term consequence, is much more complex.

Any approach that is not truly individualized and at least tries to examine – and then resolve – each of the root causes I identified before, will only benefit certain individuals – and often only be a “band-aid”, a short-term fix, not a real solution. What we need (and contact me to talk with me about your options) is a truly holistic, 5-dimensional weight loss coaching program around all 4 pillars of lasting, brain-driven weight loss.

Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and visit my website for more info!

Read more from Dr. Christine!

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Dr. Christine Sauer, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine

Dr. Christine Sauer is a German-trained physician and naturopath, as well as a gastrointestinal disease specialist, currently working as a Holistic Brain and Mental Health Professional, Coach, and Educator. Her own struggles with chronic pain, weight loss, and mental health issues have led her to dedicate her life to improving the gut health and brain/mental health of others and enabling them to drop unwanted pounds - all with natural means. She wrote 1 bestselling books and lectures on the topics and coached individuals, groups as well as families. As “The Doctor who Knows how You Feel,” she is known to make a lasting impression and positive difference in the lives of her clients and followers.