what is the point in exercising?
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In addition to what everyone else has said, weight-bearing activity increases bone density, which is incredibly important for women. That might not mean anything to you yet, but it becomes more important as we age.1
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SunnyDuckling wrote: »For me, exercise helps with eating in a better healthier way.
to this i'll add that exercising puts food into context for me. i'm not on any e.d. spectrum as far as i know, but i i have always had a pretty cavalier sort of relationship with it. lots of 'meh', and i've always treated food as if it was something you could do or not do based on whether you felt like it. as if it had nothing to do with anything beyond that.
i had a roommate in college 30 years ago who told me just recently 'you didn't eat bad food, was the weird thing. you just didn't seem like you cared about it.' and he was right; i mostly didn't. it was more like a nuisance like making beds than a really meaningful thing to me.
so i've really enjoyed the way lifting in particular tightens up my ideas of cause and effect. you lift, you get hungry. you get hungry, you eat. you eat, you go back and lift the next day. it's like dohhh, now this food thing makes sense.0 -
YES! There are exceptions...but often once my patients are about 55-60 you really separate who is active and who is not. Those that are tend to be pretty fit and lean, they don't often have pain issues (minus autoimmune or occasional over-training injuries), they don't often need joint replacements, they usually don't have circulation issues, cholesterol/pressure issues, diabetes, etc. I have quite a few patients in their late 60s and early 70s who could probably have run laps around me in my 20s and they seem like they have more energy than me too.
@Slasher09 I've been around these message boards for three years and this is one of the most inspiring posts I've read. I'd like to send you a friend request if you don't mind.
No problem! And thanks!
Everyone always jokes that the "secret" is don't turn 50. We would hear it so much the doctor and I (I'm 29, she's 36) would talk about how these people are TERRIFYING to us. And 3/4 of everyone diagnosed with health issues that affect their quality of life wish they started even 5 years ago
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If it helps you with the motivation to not feel like you are "wasting your time", try eating back half. That way you get to enjoy some extra calories while also getting the benefits of exercise, and you can feel like you are getting a bonus.
Exercise doesn't have to be hours on the treadmill, try a dance/zumba class or hiking, swimming, etc. Any activity is more than sitting on the couch!1 -
In addition to what everyone else has said, weight-bearing activity increases bone density, which is incredibly important for women. That might not mean anything to you yet, but it becomes more important as we age.
You beat me too it. My 80 year old mother is skinny, active, and generally healthy, but wishes she'd started strength training decades earlier.
On the plus side for me, she gave me her snow shoes because she was worried about falling in them.
I should be snow shoeing for the first time this winter tomorrow, woo hoo!2 -
Once you find the right exercise for you, it's just plain fun. And there are a million exercises out there to try, not just gym machine things, but stuff like tap dance, bicycling, roller skating, tennis, martial arts, swimming, kayaking and many many more. One (or more) will be so fun for you that you'd do it even if it weren't healthy. Try things until you find it!
Also: The stronger and fitter I get, the fewer aches and pains I have (back troubles, etc.), and the easier/less exhausting home maintenance chores get. I can do things by myself that would've required extra help (like getting a 70+ pound boxed unassembled desk from car to house & up a full flight of steps by myself . . . and I'm a li'l ol' lady (62)!).
I want to reinforce the "aging" thing: Like I said, I'm 62. I have - of course - lots of friends my age, and plus/minus 10 years or so. Some are athletes (mostly rowers). Some are very sedentary and inactive (mostly artists and craftspeople). I value them all in my life.
But, across the board, the inactive ones have more diseases and conditions (diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, even cancer); get sick more often and stay sick longer (routine infections and viruses); need more surgeries, have more complications from them, recover slower; need to take more prescription drugs, which often have negative side effects and bad interactions; have more sleep problems (night pain, restless leg syndrome, apnea).
Furthermore, the inactive ones need more help from children and family members with routine household chores (yard work, seasonal cleaning, flipping the mattress, moving furniture, etc.). They spend more money on doctors and drugs. They have much more limited, and often more expensive, choices in clothes, because a large fraction of them are very obese.
The inactive people are more restricted in what they can do for fun, because they can't walk very far or stay on their feet very long. With my rowing buddies, I've gone to art fairs, big quilt show, jazz and folk festivals, hockey games, maker fair, and more. My inactive friends don't want to do those things - too much walking, standing, stairs.
As a result, the inactive people spend more time sick, in pain, and even depressed. They could still improve things . . . but they believe it's impossible "at our age", so they don't try.
That is not the future you'd want for yourself, I'd guess. Now is the time to start building a better one, so your future self can be happy and healthy.
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echastee92 wrote: »I need some motivation because my calorie goal is already as low as it gets. If I exercise, I technically should just be eating more, but then it makes exercise feel pointless. I need to get out of this mindset so I thought maybe some of you educated exercise folks could hit me with some good ol facts to help me see the point in exercise! I know it has benefits and it's good for you but can someone help me understand how it's going to help aid in my weight loss? I keep talking myself out of it. I've been doing a real good job without it I just wonder how much better I could be doing with it...
I don't love exercise. It is kind of like brushing my teeth. It feels better in the long run to the alternative.
I do it because it is more fun to eat 1400 calories than 1200.
It helps me manage stress.
If I exercise my family is encouraged to be more active too.
The idea of walking 1.5 miles to walk to an appointment would have been really tough for me before but now it is normal. I like that it is normal to walk a couple of miles every day.
Stronger, more flexible, better balance are nice perks of moving more.
I tend to be more productive if I am sitting less.2 -
I'd kill people if I didn't exercise. It's a major stress reliever for me and brings balance to my life. I also love to see how strong I can get, how fast or far I can run, how many pull ups I can do and I love how my body looks in and out of clothes (massively narcissistic but never mind)
It is part of my life, it is a habit and I honestly don't know what to do with an evening without an hour doing something.
I have plenty of variety in my regieme. I have an hour with a PT. Play netball once a week, run once or twice a week, yoga at home once a week and 3 CrossFit sessions (fitness addict) plus walking the dog twice a day.
Once you find something you love exercise is easy and there doesn't need to be a greater purpose other than it generally enhances your life.1 -
xsmilexforxmex wrote: »This is what exercise can help with.
OMG! This is so my goal. Do you mind if I PM you and ask for some pointers on recomp?0 -
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With apologies for the brief thread hijack:
People interested in body recomposition, the thread you want - perhaps the thread of your dreams - is here:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat
The current thread we are in? Not about recomposition as a strategy, beyond @xsmilexforxmex's very excellent and very on topic photo example of one very important reason the actual OP here might want to exercise.
We now return to OP's regularly-scheduled "What is the point of exercise?" thread. 2 -
echastee92 wrote: »I need some motivation because my calorie goal is already as low as it gets. If I exercise, I technically should just be eating more, but then it makes exercise feel pointless. I need to get out of this mindset so I thought maybe some of you educated exercise folks could hit me with some good ol facts to help me see the point in exercise! I know it has benefits and it's good for you but can someone help me understand how it's going to help aid in my weight loss? I keep talking myself out of it. I've been doing a real good job without it I just wonder how much better I could be doing with it...
Exercise is freaking incredible. I used to be all about nutrition only - eating my calorie allotment and doing cardio only to "subtract" excess cals or put me into even more of a deficit. My body was - as some people say - skinny fat. I was not overweight by any means, but I was weak as hell and had no definition. Exercise is key for creating a sculpted body. Aside from that, there are multiple benefits to exercise that are the reason I have stuck with it for so long. Lifting weights can help you feel a sense of success and confidence on a daily basis when you are easily repping dumbbells that used to be unimaginable. It releases endorphins and can help with depression and stress relief. That's in addition to the vast health benefits like heart health, lower cholesterol, better metabolism, etc. It's definitely not all about just subtracting calories. You will look better and more importantly feel better if you incorporate some type of exercising.2 -
The point of exercise it to get stronger or faster.
It also burns calories, so that in a deficit, you get to eat more.1 -
There is no disadvantage to strength, well only one, my lats so wide I can no longer itch the centre on my back.
But seriously, you never know when you need the +10 strength stat for an emergency situation.2 -
Exercise is never pointless. Exercise because you are able to. Think about this, there are people who would love the opportunity to exercise but can't.
As we grow older we can lose strength, balance, and range of motion. You may not not be older right now, so it's easy to take these kinds of thing for granted.0 -
xsmilexforxmex wrote: »This is what exercise can help with.
Is this you?0 -
stanmann571 wrote: »The point of exercise it to get stronger or faster.
Or even just somewhere else. Like bike commuting, steeple chase racing, or the first marathon.0 -
For me exercise is to improve my sleep. We are not supposed to drive everywhere and sit working for 8 hours or more. My brain is constantly overactive, I need to exhaust myself.1
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