Why Exercise?

We have been told over and over how we need to exercise. On one end we have advertisements like “The only 10 exercises you need for weight loss” and “10 stretches to keep you fit for life.” And on the other hand we have the official recommendations for adults from many organizations (America Heart Association, American Diabetes Association, even the 2015-2020 US Dietary Guidelines) that state we should get at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise (30 minutes, 5 days a week) or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise a week with resistance training at least 2 times per week. All of the mixed signals out there are enough to drive a person to just sit on the couch and watch Netflix all day instead of any of it. So let’s start with the basics.

Exercise for weight loss

The advertisements that state you will lose all kinds of weight by doing their exercises are not exactly accurate. Most videos you can buy that have exercise routines also recommend dietary changes and sometimes supplements for weight loss. A good rule of thumb is that weight loss is 80% eating habits and 20% physical activity. That said, you can lose weight without exercising but exercise does help in many ways. Think of the 2 substances we are discussing here – adipose (fat) cells, and muscle cells. Adipose cells consist of stored energy (fat) that is there as a reserve for the body when it needs it. Your muscle cells need energy to work properly. Exercising gets the muscles working and utilizes more energy than if you weren’t moving. It may not be enough to lose weight without dietary changes but at the same time these muscles will get tone and exercise can improve your overall metabolism too.

For weight loss, the recommendations are higher than 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise a week but a consensus has not been made.

Physical activity recommendations

The recommendations for exercise listed above are not for weight loss but to keep your heart healthy and try to maintain your current weight. These are also just starting points for exercise and not ‘set in stone’ goals for everyone to hit and stay at. Some people need a lot more exercise to maintain their weight. Moderate exercises consist of walking fast (15 minute mile) to dancing, shoveling snow and raking leaves. These activities get your heart pumping, causes a sweat, but you can still hold a conversation while doing them. The vigorous exercises are along the lines of running, cross country skiing, swimming laps, and jumping rope.

If you are not physically active now and decide to aim for the recommended amount, you might see some weight loss. But without dietary changes, this probably won’t be a lot.

So what are the benefits?

‘Heart Health’

Staying physically active has many benefits for the body and mind. When physicians talk about ‘heart health’ we mainly mean blood pressure and cholesterol when it comes to exercise. Performing the recommended amount of physical activity a week can lower a person’s blood pressure by 5-10 mmHg. This may be enough to get some people off a medication. If you have high blood pressure and want to start exercising, discuss this with your primary care provider before starting. If your blood pressure is uncontrolled, she may want to hold off on an exercise plan until it can be controlled.

Exercise has also been shown to decrease triglycerides and total cholesterol and increase HDL (good) cholesterol in the blood.

Sugar

Being physically active when you have diabetes is very beneficial. Insulin sensitivity increases when the muscles are engaged. Your cells are better able to use the available insulin and glucose at the time. Also when your muscles contract, a completely different mechanism occurs in which the glucose is taken in for energy use without the need of insulin. Studies have shown this effect can last almost the entire day after exercise.

These results do not happen just for people with diabetes. Anyone with any type of insulin resistance can benefit from exercise. This includes people with prediabetes, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), and people with metabolic syndrome.

Studies in PCOS have also shown benefits in ovulation, cholesterol (as stated above), and body composition (decrease waist size) even without weight loss. A few small studies have shown that resistance/strength training 2-3 times a week improves insulin sensitivity by building muscle to utilize the glucose.

Mood

Exercise has been found to help people with mild to moderate depression improve their mood. For some people exercise works as well as antidepressants. Plus if you continue the exercise routine, you tend to not have relapses of depression. When you feel depressed, though, it can be difficult to even consider exercising. The good news is that studies have shown that even adding about an hour of physical activity a week can improve depressive symptoms. So if you do not exercise at all at this time, adding 1 hour of walking a week may help.

Anxiety and stress have also been proven to improve with physical activity. Exercise has been shown to improve mental clarity and concentration. Aerobic exercise seems to improve anxiety more than resistance (strength) training. Yoga has also been shown to help with anxiety and stress levels.

Exercise helps other conditions too and tones muscles while improving energy levels. So weight loss would be great. But even without it, we have so many benefits to reap. Why not?